The Unwinding Of Percy Weasley
by JustAudrey07
Summary: Percy is given an untidy and absent minded assistant named Audrey Larrabee to help promote himself in the Ministry. Will he be able to handle her seemingly complete apathy for the Ministry? Or will she be able to help him in ways he never dreamed of?
1. Lame Ducks and Primaries

The Unwinding Of Percy Weasley

Lame Ducks and Primaries

Percy Weasley awoke with a start, inhaling sharply as his body convulsed. He was frightened and momentarily unsure of where he was, especially as his surroundings were extremely compromised by his blurred vision. Blinking rapidly, he moved his arms to feel out the plush feather mattress below him. His feather mattress. He was in his bedroom at his small London flat, far away from Hogwarts and the night that had since haunted his dreams. Using his right hand he rubbed his puffy eyes, using his left to search for his horn-rimmed glasses on his night stand. After a few unsuccessful attempts at feeling for them, he turned and squinted to find them.

"Oh, that's right," he muttered, flipping his mother's quilt off of him as he rose to his feet. He walked carefully across his room to his large and ancient desk where his glasses sat unharmed and waiting. Percy had stayed up late into the night, poring over and correcting Ministry reports before he finally succumbed to slumber. Noting that his desk candle needed to be replaced, Percy turned to his armoire and picked out his robes for the day.

It had been over a year since that horrific yet victorious battle at Hogwarts, and though Voldermort had finally been slain and his reign had come to an end, the Magical World was still in massive disarray. Buildings and lives needed to be rebuilt, along with the need to completely revamp the collapsed Ministry. It had been rough, but under the guidance of Kingsley Shackelbolt, the new Minister, massive amounts of progress had been made. It was now time for the Ministry to return to its precise order, having weeded out most of the Death Eaters and Dark Lord sympathizers.

Percy, along with his father and other surviving members of the Order, had been right by Kingsley's side, doing whatever needed to be done to the best of their abilities, untitled and perhaps a bit under paid. Recently however, they returned to their specific departments, Percy returning to his old office in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, working diligently with Mr. Grumman, the department head.

Percy had been very excited at this prospect. Still extremely ambitious, though perhaps not as ruthless for position as he once was, he could not wait to secure himself a place in the new order of the Ministry. And perhaps, Percy thought with a grin as he pulled his best work robes, today he might get his chance. It was a well known rumor that Mr. Weiss, in charge of the International Magical Trading Standards Body, had been clamoring to go back into retirement, and Percy was fairly sure he was being seriously considered for the job.

Pride and happiness flooded through his body at the thought. He, Percy Weasley, could be the youngest division head in the Ministry's history. He felt he was a shoe in for the position; after all, it was his report that was the basis for the International Cauldron Standards Act of 1995.

Feeling extremely pleased with himself, Percy thoroughly washed his face in his basin, sleeked back his bed head into a professional style and headed out the door to work. It was a cool and sunny summer morning, and the outdoors seemed bright and welcoming. Percy looked over to the tall clock tower nestled in his neighborhood. As usual, Percy was up and ready much earlier than he needed to be, and he decided that such a momentous day merited a nice breakfast and a pleasant stroll to the Ministry. He paused by his favorite Wizarding bakery and picked up a croissant and white coffee to go, still beaming with the excitement of the day.

With plenty of time to spare, Percy cut through the park. The trees were a bright green after last week's rain and the air was full of the scent of spring flowers. He made sure not to drag his new boots in the gravel path way and averted his eyes as a pair of Muggles came towards him, walking their black Scottie dog. After a few minutes in appreciated solitude, Percy broke through the grove of trees and a sweeping view of London came in to shape across the man made park's lake. The closest in view was a neighborhood of Muggle townhouses right off the lake, perfect for those who work in London to get away from the bustling of the city. In the background, slightly distorted due to the great city's smog, sat a magnificent view of London. Though Percy had walked through this park many times before, he had never looked closely at just how great a sight it really was.

He continued to walk along the path way in a dreamy state, when he was torn from his thoughts by a loud commotion coming from the forest beside him. Ready for an ambush, Percy dipped into his robes to snatch his wand and prepared himself to fend off an attack against him or the Muggles peacefully enjoying the same sights as he. However prepared Percy felt for such an occasion, nothing could have readied him for what he was about to see. Instead of a revengeful Death Eater, three ducks burst through the tree line, quacking merrily with their wings out to steady themselves. Shortly behind them came a young woman, giggling madly as she both chased the birds in front of her and ran from another pair behind her. Percy and the Muggles watched as the girl jumped into the shallow depths with the gaggle and splash about happily. The Muggles on the bank seemed rather amused at her antics, while Percy became rather annoyed. Apart from the girl almost knocking him into the water with her, Percy judged from her flamboyant robes that she was a witch. He always felt that he needed to set a good example in public in front of the Muggles, whether or not they knew him to be a wizard. It was just good manners. Pushing the witch and her ducks out of his mind, Percy proceeded to the bridge leading towards the closest entrance to the Ministry.

Even with the scenic detour and the dumfounding duck incident, Percy was still the first to arrive at his office. Smiling, he sat down in the small room crowded with two large desks, surrounded with filing cabinets and stacks of papers. It was so full that Percy could literally only climb into his chair, and when the door closed there was standing room for only one person. Percy shared this office with another young wizard named Carmen Smith, an obnoxious Hufflepuff in his year he had been all too glad to say good bye to after completing his NEWTs, only to find himself sharing an office and job with him years later.

"Well, not for much longer," Percy smirked, taking out his report from last night and perfecting his finishing touches. It was nearly half an hour before Smith barged into the office, late and cursing as he banged his foot at the corner of his desk.

"Damn!" Carmen yelled, hoping up and down as he tried to rub his foot without losing balance. "Every day I run into that stupid desk! I swear it's not that close any other time except in the morning!"

Percy curled in his lips to keep from smiling. Having grown up the butt of Fred and George's jokes, Percy had learned a thing or two about long running pranks on someone as annoying as Smith. Even as his coworker jumped up and down, Percy cast a nonverbal spell and flicked his wand under the table, moving Carmen's desk back the proper four inches. He sighed, thinking how proud it would have made Fred to know Percy had finally learned to make a joke, but quickly shook that sentiment off. Today was a day for confidence, not mourning. Besides, Fred always hated Carmen Smith, and knew he would never forgive Percy for allowing such a git to one up a Weasley.

"Not really a day to be late, huh Smith?" Percy commented offhandedly as he finished proofreading his ten page report.

"Stuff it, Weasley!" Carmen shot back angrily. "There was something wrong with the Floo chimneys, they were all backed up and sending people to wrong places. I crawled out of three of them before I even made it to the complete other side of the Ministry." Carmen paused to shake soot out of his already ashy hair. "Didn't you notice?"

Percy's smile widened greatly and he replied in the most casual voice he could muster, "Actually, I walked to work today. Such a fine summer we're having so far, don't you think?" Carmen stopped shaking about to stare daggers at his coworker. Before he could come up with a response to Percy's glibness, the door to their office swung open, hitting Smith full on the back and slamming him in to the office wall with a loud thump. Percy stood quickly to his feet and bent over the desk to get a better look. The wizard who had opened the door, who by chance had done so while speaking to a man behind him, turned around quickly to view the scene inside.

"Merlin's beard Smith, what are you doing making all that racket?" Mr. Grumman, the head of their department inquired sternly. Smith composed himself before turning around as best he could, but still his face shaded red and tears of pain flooded his eyes.

"Must have tripped, sir," he responded through gritted teeth.

"Well get your wits about you Smith, I need to see you and Weasley in my office in ten minutes. We have important matters to discuss!" And with that Grumman shut the door loudly, causing the thin walls to shake and the loosen portrait of the Ministry to fall from its unsecure location and crash right on top of Smith's uninjured foot.

"What the hell!" Smith cursed, punching at the air.

"Must just not be your day, Smith," Percy suggested, his face as bright as he had ever remembered it being. Collecting his files off his desk, Percy quickly left the office, leaving Smith behind to make an arse out of himself. What a perfect day!

Percy made his way down to Grumman's office after a quick rearrangement of his files. "_This is it_," he thought to himself, and opened up the great wood door.

Sure enough, the first person Percy caught sight of was the aging Mr. Weiss, sitting wearily in front of Grumman's desk. Weiss had held the position of head of the International Magical Trading Standards Body for over forty years before retiring. After only a few years off however, he had been pulled back on to his old position as a favor to Grumman. But now as things began to sort themselves back out he urgently wished to return back to his country cottage to laze around aimlessly with his three basset hounds for company.

Also in the room was a wizard who seemed fresh out of Hogwarts. He looked a bit nervous but proud to be in such a place, and sat back at the clerical desk Percy knew all too well from his first days at the Ministry.

A few minutes later a much more composed Smith entered the room followed by Mr. Grumman, who shut the door behind him and took his place behind his massive desk. Percy took his seat and sat as attentively and as professionally as possible and felt he looked great compared to the sulking and slumped Smith, who seemed to be muttering to his side.

"Well gentleman, why don't we just get right to it than?" Mr. Grumman asked after settling in his seat. "Mr. Weiss here, who graciously came back to the Ministry's aid, is quite looking forward to returning to his retirement." Grumman paused as the aged Weiss snorted. Grumman's statement was a bit of an under sell, seeing as Weiss had threatened to stop turning up to work all together if Grumman did not place this on the top of his priorities. Grumman sensed this, but continued with his speech unabashed.

"So, all that is really left to do is to pick and train a replacement." Percy wiggled eagerly in his seat.

"Looking over our staff, our consideration narrowed down to the two of you, as you have been such a great help to this office for the past year." Grumman paused to think of how exactly to phrase what he needed to say next. After a brief while, he turned to Carmen and began.

"Mr. Smith, as ambitious and well trained as you are, you don't seem to have the proper prequalifications for such a high position, seeing as you lack field work."

"Figures," Smith muttered in a voice so low only Percy could hear. Percy however, paid no mind to the man who sat next to him, and focused all his energy and attention to Mr. Grumman, trying to contain his joy as he began to speak to him.

"Mr. Weasley, you seem to have excellent prerequisites, both within this department and the Ministry as a whole, and are a very choice candidate indeed." Percy started to breathe deeply, and he had to regulate each one to ensure he didn't inhale so much for fear of passing out.

"However, qualified as you are, we need a head who, how should I phrase this…" Grumman looked over at Mr. Weiss, who looked as bored and tired as ever.

"Pays more attention to his surroundings?" Weiss offered, to which Grumman nodded in agreement.

Percy's body fell. The memories of all his past scandals at the Ministry came whirling by him. The fact that his first boss Mr. Crouch had been under the Imperious Curse for seven months without him even noticing, his hand in defacing Harry Potter and his own family in denying Voldermort's return, his steadfastness in staying with the Ministry even when it was plainly clear it had been taken over by the Death Eaters (even though he had mainly done so in order to protect his father) all came back to slap him in the face. He felt the blood from his cheeks draining away and it took all his might not to bury his face in his hands.

"So what have you decided on?" Smith asked carefully; hope entering his voice and posture for the first time that morning.

"We decided," Grumman responded slowly, "to put the two of you to a task to see who would be the best for the job, based solely on how well you face up to it."

Both wizards perked up slightly, and focused intently on Grumman.

"Weiss and I have divided up the rest of the chores needed for this department to be fully operational and back on track. This ranges from an assortment of report writing, the handling of confiscated trade material and dealing with a few ex personnel in need of questioning. You have until the next quarterly review at the end of the summer to wrap things up, and then we will reveal Mr. Weiss's replacement. You each will be given an assistant to help you in your tasks and show how developed your management skills are. I will be here for any further assistance you need, and Mr. Weiss will drop in on you both from time to time to guide you on your way. Sound right?"

Both Percy and Carmen nodded in agreement, shocked at how both of their bad luck and decisions seemed to have turned in to at least a fair fighting chance. Seeing how both boys seemed more than willing to take on the challenge, Grumman proceeded.

"Okay, well, you each have a folder containing a list of the details entrusted to you," Grumman handed each candidate a bulging file. "And now all that's left is assign assistants."

Grumman looked at the back corner where the young clerk was determinedly transcribing the meeting with such a quiet aura that Grumman had quite forgotten he was there.

"You there, Grant Ascolese." Grant jumped at being addressed by full name from director, and he looked around nervously as though he had done something wrong.

"Mr. Ascolese, you are to assist Mr. Smith in all his duties, do you hear? And if your team does well, perhaps you can take his job if he rises to the top." Grant looked shocked but it seemed that nothing in life could ever make him happier than such a thing, and he eagerly rushed to Carman's side.

"The same goes to you Ms. Larrabee for helping out young Weasley here…" Grumman stopped as he realized he was addressing a person not present in the room. He looked over to Weiss as though Confunded.

"Where is Ms. Larrabee? I thought we instructed her to be here?" Weiss only had the time to shrug before the door burst open with a hurried witch falling threw.

"So sorry I'm late Mr. Grumman!" she exclaimed, picking herself up. She was a small, olive skinned witch with thick, curly brown hair and large brown eyes. Her fine nose wrinkled while her full lips grinned into an apologetic smile. "I just lost track of time."

Weiss motioned her to straighten out her hair, and as she ran her fingers through she detected a large white feather that had entangled itself into her locks. Percy's mouth dropped as he recognized her as the witch that had almost knocked him into the lake earlier that morning. Indeed, the bottom hems of her robes were still wet and she had done a poor job of clearing the mud off her boots. Noticing the three young wizards staring at her in disbelief, she rounded to Mr. Grumman inquiringly.

"Gee whiz, I feel as though I've missed something," she stated.

"Indeed you have my dear, indeed you have," responded Grumman amusedly. "We have just set these young gentlemen to the task of cleaning up the department for the prize of Mr. Weiss's position, and you have been placed in the charge of young Percy here to assist him in his challenge."

The pretty witch rounded back to the Confunded Percy, and stuck out her hand enthusiastically to her new boss.

"Hi, I'm Audrey, Audrey Larrabee!" she exclaimed brightly. Percy grudgingly shook her hand, meaning to let go of it as quickly as possible. Audrey however kept it tight in her grasp and used her leverage to pull herself closer to him for a better look.

"Gee whiz you look familiar…" she exclaimed, squinting her eyes for a better view.

"I would assume so," he responded back coldly. Over Audrey's still hunched figure Percy could see Carmen's wide set grin as he watched the disaster of a woman further inspect his rival.

"Well, you're a Weasley anyhow," Audrey said, giving up her search of exactly how she knew him. The feeling of dread returned to Percy's core as he realized that the next three months of his life could be the most important stepping stone for his career, and he would have to spend it all with and depend fully on a witch who got her morning jollies off chasing ducks in the park. He looked longingly over Carmen's assistant Grant who had already begun to pack Smith's bag and stood ready to leave when his new boss did. Audrey, on the other hand, continued to shake out her hair, searching for any other fly away debris she may have unknowingly picked up from the park.

"Alright then, now that we are all set, I suppose you should all get to it. Smith and Weasley, I suggest you prepare how you wish to tackle your list first. Assistants, wrap up whatever clerical work you have left on your desk by the end of the day. Starting tomorrow, you are to give your full attention to this project and your new boss. All clear? Excellent."

Grant nodded enthusiastically and opened the door for Carmen as they were dismissed from Grumman's office.

"Brilliant!" Audrey declared, finally finding the rouge feather in her hair and allowing it to drop to the floor before cutting off Percy's rushed attempt to leave the office.

"Not really a day to be you, huh Weasley?" Smith hissed as he and his new perfect assistant walked quickly down the hall. Audrey stood next to him, smiling up to him absentmindedly before swishing back to her office. As he watched her move as though dancing to an unheard melody, Percy felt his aspirations crack and fall around him.


	2. You Know What's Said When You Assume

Chapter Two

"I tell you Dad, she is a complete wreck! I don't know how I am expected to work with her, let alone manage her!" Percy grumbled, sliding his tray down the Ministry's cafeteria queue, tossing a bowl of fruit salad next to his stake and kidney pie. Arthur smiled, amused at his frustrated son. For three years he had to watch Percy from across the Ministry floor, both parties avoiding eye contact with one another, but always knowing where the other sat across the room. It had been a hard time for him, and especially Molly, to see their smart and ambitious son split from the family and the ideals they had tried so hard to impart to all their children. Being able to now enjoy working at the same place as his son, Arthur truly felt that he and Molly had done parenting right.

Ever since Percy's unexpected appearance in the Room of Requirement during the last few hours the Weasley family remained whole, Percy had desperately tried to make up for his previous actions. Applying his Percy determination that demanded anything he attempted he do well, Percy visited the Burrow for dinner more often than any other of the Weasley sons. He offered his services as the reliable uncle and baby sat Victorie to allow Bill and Fleur a night out. He and Charlie corresponded often, and he made sure to drop by the joke shop at least once a week if for nothing else than to have George and Ron make fun of him.

Arthur was extremely pleased with this new version of Percy. Though all was forgiven the second he emerged from the portrait frame, he was proud of the lengths Percy had gone through to make his way back into his family's good graces. Being forced in to humility, he had become much less pompous around his family members, and supported things such as Ron's decision to help out George at the joke shop in fashion hence forth unthinkable for the overly ambitious Weasley. His new humility had been so impressive even Ginny, who had somehow been the hardest on re-accepting Percy, was taken aback and was gracious for his tutoring and help as she prepared long distantly for her NEWTs.

That being said, Percy remained true to his core and still applied himself a bit too drastically in order to be successful. The two met for lunch a few times a week, mainly arranged by the father to ensure that his son slowed down enough to remember to eat. Percy was always enthusiastic about listening and talking about his family, but it sadden Arthur slightly that the only other thing Percy ever brought to the table related to work, and worried that his son who had grown up so fast was missing out on life.

"Come now, surely she can't be all that bad," Arthur cooed. He had been a bit shocked when he walked to his son's new office to see such a pretty witch, lounging with her legs kicked over the arms of an office chair, scribbling casually on piece of parchment, and wondered if he had walked into the wrong room. Far from the relaxed social visit Arthur had hoped for, he witnessed his son eyeing her irately as she sat oblivious to his unruly temperament. Knowing all too well the warning signs for a Percy explosion, Arthur quickly suggested an early lunch. Percy agreed before his chatty assistant could engage his father into a conversation, and told her to be back in the office in exactly an hour before shutting the door. Percy wasted no time ripping into how wasteful a helper she was and burst into wild theories of sabotage from some unknown source within the Ministry.

"You have no idea!" Percy exclaimed passionately. "She is the most unprofessional Ministry worker I have ever met, and she has _my _old job! She lounges instead of sits as though she were at some beach, I swear she doesn't listen to half the words I say, and she nearly lost last year's quarterly reports on Magical Immigration influx. How on earth am I supposed to work with someone like that?"

Arthur couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since he had heard what Molly and he privately called "Percy's fussy fits", and it reminded him of older days when Percy used to complain about any one of his siblings or owls. He was such a distraught child that Molly often feared for him. Arthur remembered countess reassurances that it was just a phase that he would grow out of, and his immature cravings for perfection would get him far once tamed.

"Has she been doing her job?" Arthur asked carefully.

"Huh?" Percy was suddenly taken aback after being drawn from his rant. He frowned as he considered his father's question. "I suppose so. I haven't had her do much. I mean obviously I don't want her mucking up my chances. But when I have been dictating to her for reports it certainly looks like she's taking me down. She's at least writing _something_."

"Okay," Mr. Weasley continued, "has she been rude, unnecessarily late or distracting?"

"Well of course she is distracting! She sits there…. she sits… well she _has_ been late by a few minutes… or was I just early? Rude? No, I suppose not. She does seem to laugh at me a lot but I think she is a bit touched in the head, and at least she does so softly."

Mr. Weasley grinned and looked upwards to the ceiling as he took a deep breath. Percy still seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, his eyes darting back and forth trying to recall every, or any, discretional act Audrey had made.

"Percy," Arthur called to him paternally, "you need to learn to get along with the people you work with, even if they are a bit… different. She seems to be doing her job and has a proper attitude and that's all you can ask from your employees. Don't put her down just because her style is different than yours. And don't over crowd yourself with work. Audrey is working to help you, not hindrance you. I am sure she is fully capable of handling any job you give her. You'll find that as a boss, if you're fair, a bit flexible, and give just a little, your employees are more apt to giving you a lot more back. That is the best way to run a department."

Percy mulled over his father's advice. It was true he had been a bit rash judging Ms. Larrabee. The only true fault he had with her was nearly getting knocked into the lake, but that was before the pairing and not on Ministry time, so he felt he could not actually count that against her as an assistant. Perhaps he was just disappointed he did not get the job straightforward like he had hoped, or that he had not been given Grant to help, whom Percy felt would have been just as useful and assistant as he once was.

"I guess I could give her a bit more to do. I mean, nothing important mind you, but there are a dreadful amount of things that need to be finished," Percy finally conceded. Arthur beamed at his son and clapped his hand on his back. Percy smiled sheepishly at his father, feeling a bit silly for such a thing to make his father proud of him, but he was happy to take the sentiment.

Percy and his father said their goodbyes and confirmed plans for dinner at the Burrow later in the week. As he took the lift back to his office he tried to think of why he had been so hard on Audrey and what he could do to ease his tension toward her and give her more of a chance.

However, when he reached his office, Audrey wasn't there. He checked his watch and grunted angrily. He had specifically told her to be back promptly in an hour, and she was running late. He sat back at his desk, his annoyance for the young witch mounting with every passing minute. After a whole five minutes had passed Percy stood up, deciding he would go find her. This proved unnecessary, however, as before he could even pull back his chair she jumped suddenly through the door in that distracting way she did. Did this woman have no discretion?

"You're late," he said coldly. Audrey smiled at him and gave him her soft, near silent laugh she shot at him so often.

"Actually, you were the one who was late," she replied goodnaturedly.

"What are you talking about!" he fumed. "How could you say that when I have clearly been here before you!"

" You said be back in exactly an hour, which you said at 11:31. I remember because you were talking about an old report that had been turned in on November 30th and I said, 'Hey, that's what time it is.' You gave me a very angry look and than your father walked in. So I returned from lunch at 12:27, waited eight minutes, and when you didn't show up, I went to the bathroom. Pumpkin juice has a bad habit of going straight through me."

Percy's eyes bulged out of his head at the mere suggestion that he could have been late for anything. He held out his watch to prove to her that it was indeed now only seven minutes passed the lunch deadline. However, upon looking closer, he realized that it was in fact a good twelve minutes behind the standard Ministry clock. Percy could not understand at all how such a thing happened and stared dumbfounded at his wrist.

"I assume loo breaks are allowed?" Audrey inquired, standing on her tip toes to get a closer look at what he was doing. "I have yet to ask and have been holding it in an awful lot. I don't know how you only go during lunch time; I seem to need to rush off every two hours like clockwork."

Percy looked up, astonished at her babbling.

"What? Of course loo breaks are allowed. If you need to go…"

"Brilliant!" Audrey exclaimed with a grin. She jumped back into the large chair opposite Percy's desk, threw her legs back over the arms, picked up her quill and parchment and flashed him a dazzled smile. "So shall we get back to those oh so exciting dictations?"

Percy shook out his head. This woman always seemed to place him into such a confused state, and he found himself needing to close his eyes to center himself every time she talked for a considerable length. Placing himself back into work mode, he began reading through his reports, organizing the specific dates they needed for the time, along with certain reports that needed to be revisited. For the first hour, Percy found himself glancing at his assistant constantly, to ensure she took down all his words. After awhile, assuring himself that her quill was constantly moving and her parchment sporadically flipping back and forth as she turned the page, he began to feel more secure. However, he still couldn't help himself from looking at her a bit more than he thought necessary. It was one of these unmerited glances towards Audrey's direction that he caught her flipping from a page in front of her large stack of papers, that did not seem to have dictations, but a drawing instead.

"What was that!" Percy demanded loudly. Audrey flinched at the outburst and held her pile of parchment close to her chest.

"Huh?" she asked as innocently as possible, blinking her large eyes softly.

"That!" he cried, ripping the top parchment out of her grip. Just as he had suspected, the page did not contain anything about the Immigration report. Instead there was a doodle of Percy with a small body and an enlarged head perched on top precariously. His features had been embellished into an ugly scold, and his small arms held out a pointed hand that moved back and forth in a disapproving fashion. A large bubble rose from his frowned lips which contained the words "Skip the loo, back to Floo!" in bold letters.

Percy began to breathe heavily, shaking as he tried to control his rage. Audrey on the other hand seemed not to be breathing at all. She quickly moved her legs in front of her and sat back in her chair properly. Her lip tucked into her mouth and she bit it lightly, her eyes contorted into a worried glance.

"It was just a bit of a joke, Percy," she explained softly.

"That's Mr. Weasley to you!" Percy exploded, going red in the face. " Am I a joke to you? My future is a joke to you? I entrusted you to organize my notes for a presentation and you have spent the last three hours turning me into a fool!"

"No!" Audrey cried, holding out the rest of the paper stack for him to see. Percy slapped it to the floor, causing Audrey to jump back in her chair.

"I don't need to see any more of your jokes. Go home Ms. Larrabee! I can do the rest of this without your sense of humor!" Percy declared, stepping back to calm after his outburst. Audrey looked at him apologetically and climbed out of her chair. She scooped down to collect her canvas bag and paused as she stood up.

"Gee whiz Mr. Weasley, I didn't mean to upset you so much. I'm sorry." Percy only responded by pointing out the door. Audrey shot him one more apologetic glance before walking out of the office. Percy cursed as the door shut behind her, and slammed his fist down on his desk.

A whole day, wasted! All his hard work foiled by that bumbling witch who didn't care whether he failed or not, as long as she could get a laugh. Eying the stack of scattered parchment, Percy leaped over to destroy the remaining evidence of his accursed day. However, before he began to rip the parchment in half, he was faced, not with another crude drawing, but with a very detailed numbered chart. Taken aback, he gathered up the rest of the paper from the floor.

It was all there, every date, every name, every incident, neatly organized and easy to find. She had taken down all the comments he had dictated and even corrected it when he contradicted himself. The pages were now a bit crumpled and out of order, but wait, she had even numbered every page to ensure they could be easily filed.

Percy collapsed into his chair, staring at the documents she had created, noting that he himself could hardly do a better job, and she had much better handwriting. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, feeling his heart plummet into his stomach. Upon restoring his vision, he looked over at the drawing that had upset him so much. The ugly look upon its face matched exactly how he felt inside. That was twice he had accused based heavily on biased assumptions, and twice she had proved him wrong. Yes the drawing was unprofessional and unnecessary but he could not blame for doing such a thing, he had been quite the monster to her. Furthermore, he was actually impressed she was able to write down such good notes and draw such and accurate depiction at the same time. Having someone so equipped at multitasking could come in great handy for the massive job Percy was to undertake. That is, if he could ever get her to come back.


	3. Sugar Packets and Sticky Situations

Sugar Packets and Sticky Situations

Apologies were not the sort of thing Percy was used to voicing. Even during the recent events with his family, Percy was much more of a doer than a talker when it came to that sort of thing. In the Room Of Requirement he had nothing at all prepared to say to his family when he saw them. When Aberforth informed him that the battle was happening Percy rushed off without a thought, and when he bridged the divide from the stony corridor he was shocked to find himself confronted with the freckled faces of his family. His initial reaction was to yell out what he had been feeling for months, years really when he thought about it, and Fred and the rest of his family finished the rest. Since then Percy had been responding for his failings personally and physically, making up to his family in ways he knew were meaningful to them. He was a firm believer in actions speaking louder than words, and he knew with his family he had a lifetime of penance to make him feel like he could correct himself.

Audrey however was a different situation entirely. Words needed to be said, and though what he had done to her was not even comparable to what he had done to his family, he felt his apology should be no less genuine. The real problem was that he had never made this kind of act for forgiveness before. When he said sorry to his bosses for a problem at work it was mostly to save his job. And as for friends… well, he never felt any of his actions admitted fault before. Perhaps that's why his friend base was so scarce.

Now however, in accordance to Percy's new leaf, he had to prod around the sensitive areas of his mind to see just how he should handle the situation. All he knew about Audrey is that she liked to talk, did her job well when given the chance, and was very accurate in her portrayals. And she seemed to have an over fondness for ducks. None of this seemed particularly helpful as personal things were not a subject he was prepared to talk about, and he doubted he could find a duck at this hour. None the less, Percy had been staring at the etching of the office door for a good quarter of an hour, knowing Audrey sat on the other side. Taking a deep breath after deciding to simply "wing it", Percy opened the door, bracing himself for who knows what.

Instead of laying slumped on the overstuffed chair she had stolen from the break room as he had grown accustomed to, Percy found Audrey with her back turned to him, laying out folders and boxes on the long table that ran the length of his office wall. She tensed visibly when she realized he had finally come to work. Her body pivoted on the spot slowly, her eyes wide and lip slightly indented from the tight bite she had given it before. Though Percy had only worked with her a few days, he noticed that her attire was much more muted than normal, in attempt to appear professional. Exhaling, Percy stared working up the nerve to speak, when Audrey jumped and beat him to it.

"Coffee!" she yelled. Percy widened his eyes and shook his head in confusion. Audrey dashed by him quickly and snatched his coffee cup from the table. She peered into it momentarily before sheepishly handing it to him.

"I meant to have this ready for you when you got here. I mean, obviously it _was _ready but, you know, have it to hand to you and everything." She spoke very quickly, more so than usual. When Percy failed to reply back, she dove into another string of one-sided conversation.

"It's made just the way you like it! Strong, black and two sugars."

"How did you know that's how I drank my coffee?" Percy asked rather abruptly. These were not the first words he meant to give to her, but his curiosity momentarily derailed him from his mission.

"You have dark rings around your eyes," she replied, as though this was adequate enough information. When Percy seemed to fail following her train of logic, she smiled a bit as though she was letting a slower friend in on a joke.

"Your eyes are dark and a bit puffy. You are normally the first person here in the morning and you can stay here very late into the night. That indicated your lack of sleep and a need for it to be strong. You refill your cup three times a day, but never add any milk. Though you throw your sugar packets in the rubbish, you leave the torn tops on the right hand side of your desk by your pen, and by the time I get up to leave there are always six pieces. So I did the reasoning and well, it's your drink."

Percy stared at her in wonder. When describing his new assistant to his dad he had to look at his paper work to recall her last name, and here she had already watched him enough to know how he took his coffee.

"I-I- can't…" Audrey cut off Percy's unintelligent sputters by darting in front of him to showcase her table.

"I also laid out the files you said needed to be revisited and requested access to the storage compartment that contains the contraband we needed to sort through. That is if you still want me as your assistant." She paused to look at him pleadingly, biting her lip once again. Guilt encompassed Percy, but while he tried to gather his sentiments from the previous afternoon, she once again pulled him away from his thoughts.

"I mean, I am still working here, aren't I? I checked on the staff lists this morning when I got here, and I knew if you wanted to fire me you would have done so yesterday or at least early this morning but I know they don't always update right away so I wasn't sure and gee whiz you have no idea how much I need not to get fired Percy… Mr. Weasley."

"Percy!" he said quickly but kindly, cutting her off from any further chance she may talk again. This time, Audrey was the one who seemed lost for words and looked at her boss with a slight hope.

"Percy is fine," he granted, grateful for some leeway. "I don't seem to be much older than you, and you seem to be more comfortable with Percy anyhow."

"It is what I am used to calling you," she replied with a large sense of relief. Percy raised his eyebrows and once again strayed from his apology with another question.

"Er, do we know each other?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, well, at least I know you. Or of you. I mean, you were head boy _and_ I was a Ravenclaw."

"Ravenclaw? But I was in Gryffindor," he stated profoundly.

"Yeah, but Penelope wasn't. She was my prefect and…" Audrey stopped as she watched Percy face and neck begin to redden. She quickly jumped into action to try and rectify the situation.

"Not that she talked about you! Or hid you either. It... it's just that it was common knowledge and I may have overheard a thing or two about your relationship in the common room, but… Oh!" She stomped her foot as she cried out and quickly sat on the small fold up chair by the table. "Gee whiz this is not at all how I meant this morning to go. I had the whole scenario worked out in my head. I practiced it all night last night on my cat, and she seemed very receptive so I thought I'd be okay. But it's just when I get nervous I can't help but spewing word vomit over the whole situation and…"

"It's okay!" Percy interrupted. He crouched by her side and looked at her earnestly. Audrey popped her lip out of her mouth and gave another meek and sheepish smile.

"At least you had something prepared. I came in here not knowing what to say," he admitted. Instead of bursting in to rapid speech in the way Percy had quickly become accustomed to, Audrey nodded and encouraged him to proceed.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did, frightened you, or scattered those papers. It was uncalled for, over the line and completely unprofessional."

"So was my drawing," Audrey conceded.

"Not quite," Percy responded a bit glibly. "I was fairly wretched towards you, and for no reason at that. I seemed to have built a mountain of offenses around you, and your sketching was the last straw instead of the first. I came to terms that it was deserved and quite an accurate description of my countenance. Though I am very sure I did at least allow bathroom breaks."

Audrey released a soft chuckle at his small joke and broke out into a big side smile. Raising to her feet and tucking a dark lock which had escaped her headband behind her ear, she turned to face him. Percy also took to standing position, already feeling a bit lighter.

"It seems as though we got off on the wrong foot. Why not start again?" she asked earnestly. She stood back a step and out stretched an enthusiastic arm. "Hi! I'm Audrey, Audrey Larrabee! Gee whiz you look familiar…"

Audrey craned her neck forward a bit as she squinted her eyes. Percy let out a quick laugh and grabbed her hand in return.

"I would assume so. You almost knocked me into the lake the other morning."

"Oh that was you then? Well, I'm sure you know that when being chased by mallards it is every witch for herself. I would have apologized had I known, but you were mostly a red blur." She grinned cheekily, and Percy allotted another laugh.

"Well, that's quite alright then. Though I have yet to be chased by such creatures, I can certainly form some empathy for those who have." They finished the conversation with Audrey's beaming smile.

"Alright," Percy said, giving a clap and returning his attention to the mountain of paper work that laid out on the table. "Shall we get back to work?"


	4. Love Potion Number Unknown

Love Potion Number Unknown

Everything had happened so fast, he felt that the laws of nature shouldn't have allowed it to have occurred. It couldn't have happened. Such a rush of overwhelming relief, happiness and sense of accomplishment couldn't possibly have been stolen away by such grief. How such things were possible in that small of amount of time... it just didn't make sense.

He was back at the corridor with Fred. The same hall only a few short years earlier Fred had laughed at him for threatening to give them detention for what every rule of the day he and his twin decided to break. Now they stood, unified, as brothers should be, with two Death Eaters rushing towards them. A drop of a hood. Ah yes, Thicknesse. How he had come to despise that man. He had infiltrated and destroyed Percy's Ministry, which was his beacon of all things right. How exhausting that year had been. He had to hide things, destroy evidence and downright lie, which was something he was never apt for, all to ensure the safety of his family and Harry. That's what he had told Scrimgeour they needed to do, protect Harry, and the man had died by his advice. If now was his time to do the same, so be it, but he would take down this "minister" while he did.

A joke. One that lightened up his brother's thin and ashen face. One that may have caused the group to pause instead of running, he was never sure of what exactly they had planned to do next as the two grown men lay at their feet and their brother and his friends joined their side. A horrid, forsaken noise and the air being ripped apart. And then, then, then the world ended.

Loud noises and streaks of light came towards him, ones that should have signified danger, but all Percy could think of was no. No, this couldn't be happening. He was the one prepared to die. Deserved to die after what he had done. Not Fred. Not a brother who had pestered him into playing games when they were younger, who kept him in his place, who he revered so highly. Harry's words and Ron's grasp couldn't move him, nor hardly the spiders that came crawling through the wall. Only when Fred's preservation was in danger could he get himself up and help carry the still warm body to safety. After that, well, Rookwood got his…

"Yo, Percy!"

Percy shook his head, releasing himself from his inner most thoughts. He was not at Hogwarts, dueling after a wretched man chasing escaping students. He was at the Ministry, a year later, in a large underground office, with his yellow faced friend staring at him angrily across the chess board.

"Huh?" Percy inquired, shaking the bits of his daydream away while he tried to grip himself on reality.

"You're not concentrating, this offends me. It offends Zek too, and you know what happens when Turks get pissed."

Zek, who was sitting casually behind the large oak desk, shot a glance at Percy signifying he had no idea what he was supposed to do when offended, and then continued to eat his bowl of rice noodles. Al on the other hand, felt he had put his point across well enough, and scooted the chess board a bit closer to his opponent.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit distracted. Loads of work to do and all," Percy said half-halfheartedly. Al shot his friend a sly grin and nodded.

"Thinking about that hot assistant of yours, huh?" he asked knowingly.

"What! No, of course not!" Percy defended. "Just work, I have lots of work to do." He tried to emphasis this point by sliding his rook left to protect his queen from Al's knight.

"Lots of work to do, huh? Chipping away her resistance, one Ministry inquiry form at a time?"

Al and Zek both laughed, the latter inhaling noodles as he did so. Percy felt himself begin to flush.

"You know that's not what I meant. Besides, you've never even met her. How would you know if she was attractive?"

"She'd have to be for you to keep her, as much as you complained about her," Zek shot from his side of the desk. Al mouthed "nice one" over to his direction before rounding back to Percy for his response.

"She's a good assistant," Percy defended. "Just a bit…quirky. Besides, how would it look to Weiss and Grumman if I dumped my first employee after a week? So let's just drop the topic and move on to something else, shall we?"

"Okay," Al replied, moving his bishop to advance upon Percy's encroaching pawn. Pausing to take a bite of his sandwich, he looked over to Zek.

"So what's that stack of papers over there, Zeki my boy? Looks awfully important and secret like."

"Not on your life, McClellan," Zeki responded coolly, pushing the papers out of Al's reach. Zeki worked in the Department of Mysteries as an assistant, and hoped one day to be an Unspeakable. This drove Al crazy, as he was a bit of a conspiracy nut, and tried to milk him for whatever inside information he knew. Zek never gave him anything, which Percy half credited towards Zek probably not knowing anything of interest in the first place. There were things in this department the Minister didn't even know, and Zeki was privy to spilling to his friends when he heard something good.

"Oh well, worth a shot. So Perce, if you're not going to make a move, mind if I do?" Al asked, switching the subject back to Audrey.

"And what would you do with her if you had her?" Percy responded casually, analyzing the board seriously. "I thought the furthest you've ever gone with a woman is a slap in the face."

"Oh you just wait. I have moves you haven't ever seen!" Al said, a bit of cockiness in his voice.

"Nor has anyone else," Percy replied, his eyes focused on the board. He waited for Zek to finish laughing before standing from his chair, rolling up his second half of his sandwich and collecting his bag. "I suggest you stop fantasizing about moves you'll never be able to make and focus on the ones you actually can. Checkmate."

Percy moved his knight close to Al's king, which was blocked from moving away. Al hastened him to wait, but Percy left the office knowing there was no way out, and as he walked to the lift he heard his friend's moans as his knight inevitably knocked Al's king to the ground.

After running by Grumman's office to drop off some reports and have a quick chat, Percy headed back to his office to finish the day's work. Audrey was already there, or rather looked as though she hadn't left, and was munching on something white and very broken up in a small velvet pouch Percy couldn't immediately identify.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked cautiously.

"Oh, you know, eating lunch. You want some?" Audrey passed the bag over to Percy, which he then realized contained stale looking bread crumbs.

"Why on earth are you eating that for lunch?" he asked.

"Ah well, I forgot to bring food with me today," she said very sheepishly.

"There's a cafeteria downstairs…" Percy trotted off. He had a feeling this conversation was about to get weird.

"Hmmm, no money on me either. Left the purse at home."

"Well why not Apparate home then?" he asked, seeing this to be the most logical option.

"See I would, but as Apperation requires a wand…"

"You don't have your wand!" Percy demanded. "Where is it? Was it stolen?"

"No, no, nothing like that," she assured, shaking her head. "I just left everything at my flat is all. Max came over last night and he flew me to his place, I didn't have the intention of staying the night, but well…" she trailed off for emphasis before continuing. "By the time I realized what I had done he had already left and I had no choice but to just walk to work and just go without magic for the day."

"And how do you plan to get inside your flat without your wand?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Oh, it's a Muggle building so it's not that hard. Captain Reilly has my spare key, he'll let me in."

"Who's Captain Reilly?" But before Audrey could reply, the door swung open with Al standing in the hall, a mischievous grin plastered to his face.

"Hey Percy, you forgot your chess pieces," he oozed, tossing Percy's bag to him. "Oh, and who is this?"

He pushed past Percy and rushed to Audrey's side. Audrey grinned widely at his determination and let out a bit of a chuckle as he daintily grabbed her hand.

"Alastair McClellan, assistant to the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. You may have heard of it." Al looked at his nails impressively.

"Wow, that's really cool. My boyfriend Max is a Chaser for the Appleby Arrows, so I know a bit about it."

Al's demeanor dropped suddenly and his yellow face paled. "Max, you mean Max Tidwell? You're dating Max Tidwell?"

"Yeah!" Audrey responded brightly. "For about six months now."

"Max Tidwell, the bloke who catches Bludgers with his bare hands?" Al continued nervously.

"Isn't that cool?" she chirped, shrugging her shoulders. She watched as Alastair backed away towards Percy, but couldn't discern what he whispered in his ear.

"Abort mission!" he hissed, before rushing out of Percy's office. Percy watched his friend run down the hall and shook his head.

"What was that all about?" Audrey asked with a laugh, straightening up in her chair.

"Don't mind Al, he suffers from delusions," Percy explained. He dipped into the pockets of his robes and handed Audrey the unfinished half of his sandwich. A shocked but grateful look flashed across her face. She took the parcel and unrolled it out in front of her, beaming even harder.

"Wow, that was like magic!" she grinned. Percy rolled his eyes, amused in spite of himself.

"You're just lucky I had a big breakfast. I assume you can walk and eat? I only received access to the storage room for a few hours and I'd like to get some cataloging done before the weekend starts."

Audrey nodded vaguely as she picked through her sandwich. After searching thoroughly, her face wrinkled a bit and Percy heard her hum in disapproval.

"Hmm, no horseradish," she said. Percy looked at her incredulously. Audrey looked up at his distressed face and laughed. "I'm not complaining! I just like horseradish is all. But there is that whole bit about beggars not being choosers and all that. I am extremely grateful you gave me your pocket sandwich."

"Why is it you turn a simple gesture into something gross?" Percy inquired lightly as he held open the door to usher her out. Audrey grabbed her things and lunch and left with him into the hallway.

"It isn't gross! I just find it extremely cool that you come prepared for everything. It makes my job much easier." Percy had to smile a bit and figured he could let her comments slide. Besides, he was starting to realize she simply had a small problem of keeping her inner dialogue to herself and was never trying to be rude. They walked down the vacant corridor in silence, Percy keeping to his ordered thoughts and Audrey, who had nothing but duck feed all day, to her sandwich. They didn't have to take the lift as their destination was on the same floor, but it was still a ways to walk.

"You know," Audrey said as she finished the last bites of her lunch, "you were right not to put horseradish on there; it would have totally clashed with the whole essence of the sandwich. It was quite good."

"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full," Percy reprehended habitually. "And I know it's good, I wouldn't have ordered it otherwise."

"Oh Percy, teach me to be as wise as you!"Audrey asked brightly as she watched him open up the small door to the storage room. Percy merely shook his head as he let her enter first, reserving his bashful smile for when her back was turned.

The room was dark and narrow, stretching far back giving the illusion of a small hallway. The ceiling was also very low, and Percy had to be careful of how he moved his head to make sure he did not scrape it. With the hustle of the last year, the mundane duty of properly categorizing and destroying illegal confiscated objects had been dropped for more pressing things. And as Percy thought about it, it probably wasn't that high on the list of Voldermort's regime either. This led to massive complications in the standard Ministry organization system implemented to combat back up. People seemingly had just thrown in any sort of object in whatever closet they could open, instead of placing them in the assigned rooms and recording the details of its procurement and danger. That left two years of mess for Percy and Audrey to go through, and they had spent the last few days just making a pathway and throwing things in piles before they had even had a chance to sort things out.

"I really don't see why we can't just banish all this rubbish," Audrey stated, kicking a vibrating tea pot back over to the piles of dishware.

"Because, these things need to be properly recorded to show patterns of illegal influx, and then sorted and sent to the proper Ministry department for them to handle," Percy explained as he tried to decide where to start.

"Yeah, and what are the proper Ministry departments going to do with this stuff when we send it to them? Banish them."

"Each department has stringent regulation practices on its contraband. You should know this, it was all in the report we have been working on this week."

"Oh, yeah. See when it comes to things like that it goes straight from the ears to the quill with no detour to the brain. How you manage to remember such things is totally beyond me."

"Because, it's my job to remember. Or at least it will be if we can clear out these stupid closets before Smith takes out his. I swear he swindled smaller compartments," Percy grunted.

"I'm glad you at least find some aspect of this job stupid, it makes you much easier to work with. And don't worry about Smith. He may have been assigned with "wonder boy" to help him, but nothing beats a woman's touch when it comes to fitting things correctly in a closet." Even though dim, Percy could see her flash smile before she turned around to grab boxes of potions to lie out on a table.

Though her logic seemed valid, it would still take a painstakingly long time to sort out through all the rubbish, document it, and then send it to various departments. Potions were especially tricky, as Audrey had no wand to help reveal what was contained in each vile. Most were labeled, but every now and then they would run across a peeled off label or captions in illegible or foreign hand writing, and the process would have to stop for Percy to produce the complicated spell which would reveal the ingredients. From there they had to try to recall potions with such things, or simply list what was in it and move on. The process became so frustrating that he cringed every time Audrey spoke, as during the midst of work she saved her voice only to exclaim they had another unidentified bottle.

"Ugh, here are two more," Percy groaned as he got to the last vials in a particularly nasty box. Audrey walked over to peer inside.

"Oh, that one's pretty," Audrey exclaimed, pointing to the long necked and flowing based jar with a smoking purple concoction inside. Percy picked it up and shoved it into her hands as he looked at the clear liquid with floating gold specks in his own bottle.

"This one is going to be rough. See what you can get from yours," he said offhandedly. Audrey shrugged and took her potion further to the back to get closer to the hanging oil lamp. Percy put his potion back down and rubbed his eyes in exasperation. He was beginning to grasp what a momentous and seemingly futile trek he was being placed on. Did Grumman and Weiss really think that four people could fix the mess the department had been left in? They seemed to think so. They and everybody else in the department took care of business as usual, while Percy was starting to think he was on a wild goose chase.

"_That could be the point_," he thought wearily. They could just be waiting for one of the teams to drop out, that would certainly help them in filling up the opened position. Then again, if Percy were actually able to do what they wanted, it would show he was aptly aware of his surroundings. Well, it looked like the goose would be pursued.

Returning to his duty, Percy grabbed his bottle and determined it was just spoiled veritaserum. Moving to put it back in the box along with all the other potions they had taken out, he saw a small label that had stuck itself to the side. He picked it up and read the smudged ink.

"La Sequía De Sueño. Okay, Spanish." Percy pulled through his mind all the Spanish he knew. Crouch was multilingual and often dealt with Spanish Ministry officials, and Percy had tried to immerse himself.

"The drought of Sueño…sueño… sleep! Sleep draught, well that's not illegal." Percy felt a bit excited at remembering some Spanish but annoyed at having to have his time wasted with such a common potion. He turned to tell Audrey not to worry about it. When he sought her out in the dark room, she had finally decided to uncork the bottle at an arms length to determine for herself what was inside.

"Forget about that stuff, it's nothing to worry about," Percy said pompously. Audrey brought the bottle a bit closer to her body in order to recork, and Percy watched as purple fumes rose out. They spiraled upwards and were quickly inhaled as Audrey took in a breath. Percy had just enough time to jump over a rubbish pile and catch her before she fell and hit the ground.

Panicking, Percy had enough sense to cork and pocket the potion before turning his full attention to his fallen assistant. She was pale and unmoving, taking only the shallowest and sporadic of breaths.

"But sleeping potion doesn't act like that!" he pleaded to no one.

"_Duh_," his inner voice responded "_that's why this was confiscated._" He looked back down to Audrey. Thin purple wisps of smoke were coming from her slightly opened mouth. Percy immediately scooped her up in his arms and rushed her out of the closet.

He had almost forgot that he would run into people once he got to the hallway, but pushed pass them forcefully as he held Audrey limply. He saw one tiny old witch open her office door and Percy nearly knocked her over as he rushed passed her.

"Young man, for Merlin's sake what are you…" But Percy paid no attention. This office was big, so it would have a fireplace. Ignoring the old witch's further protests, he grabbed a handful of the ashy powder in the flower pot on mantel. Pausing only long enough to make sure he didn't hit Audrey's head when he situated them in the fire place, he threw the Floo powder down around them.

"St. Mungos!" he cried, and he prayed it would take them there fast enough.


	5. Pardon My Spanish

Chapter 5

Percy's feet had just barely touched the ground before he jumped out of the large stone fireplace. Soot covered his face, and his arms were badly battered from the rocky and bulky trip. He had kept Audrey as safe as he could, embracing her as they flooed out, and he had taken the bulk of the beating given by the transport system meant for only one person at a time. As soon as he had steadied himself from his rickety landing, he scooped Audrey's light weight frame back into his arms and hurried over to the reception desk, not even pausing long enough to correct his skewed glasses.

There was only one person standing in front of the Welcome Witch who sat behind the reception desk. Percy bounced anxiously as he waited for her to direct a wizard to his needed floor, and did not even look twice as the man faced him on his way to the lift with a nose that was the rough size, shape and color of a tomato.

The witch called "next" without really looking up from her old copy of Witch Weekly. Unable to find the right words to collect her full attention, Percy laid Audrey across the table, hoping this would do the trick. A mild look of surprise crossed the normally indifferent face, and the Welcome Witch stared at Audrey with a small hint of curiosity before looking up to Percy.

"What happened to her?" she asked drolly. Percy exhaled in exasperation, annoyed that the woman didn't seem to grasp the magnitude of what had been done. What he had done.

"She got knocked out," Percy sputtered, dipping into his pocket and pulling out the purple vial, "with this."

Any interest she once had in Audrey's case vanished when she saw the potion Percy held.

"Poción del Sueño, third floor," she directed with a wave before returning to her magazine.

"You- you know what this is?" Percy asked in surprise, gently lifting Audrey back off the table. The witch rounded a look on him and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it was a big deal a few years back. Some loony Spaniard was trying to pawn it off as a sleeping draught with no side effect. Well, it didn't make you drowsy when you woke up because you never did. I suppose there is some logic to that."

Percy became frightened. First off, he was startled as the stretcher the Welcome Witch had summoned had started to push against him, demanding it get its package so it could be on its way. Secondly, Percy couldn't grasp her diagnosis.

"What do you mean they never woke up? People woke up after taking this, right?" he asked nervously.

"Some did," she said lightly, "I think the others just ended up kicking off."

Percy felt what little blood that was in his face drain, and with a heavy conscience he placed Audrey lightly on the table; he was able to brush off some ash from her face and hair before the cart sped away. Percy stood there motionlessly as he watched her disappear from the ruckus of the waiting room and the blurs of lime green Healers.

"Hey, I thought you ministry types collected all that stuff," the witch asked suddenly, staring at his business attire and cutting Percy away from staring solidly at the lift doors. "We haven't had a Sueño case in awhile."

"We were at the Ministry when it happened," he snapped quickly. "And how can you be so sure that's what she has? The bottle was labeled Sequía del Sueño, but you called it Poción, it could be something entirely different." The witch let out a gruff laugh.

"Yeah maybe, except sequía means drought, like in lack of water. I assume some incompetent ministry worker put that when they meant draught, which is trago. I personally think poción sounds better."

"Why are you people so apt to thinking your government is incapable!" Percy fumed, directing his guilt at a useless argument.

"Whoa, sorry boss!" The Welcome Witch grinned as she threw up her hands. "Your right, the Ministry is totally competent. She's upstairs for having a _drought_ of sleep given to her by a coworker who thought she looked thirsty."

Percy stumbled at this point. "I didn't give it to her to drink. I gave it to her to figure out what it was since the label was peeled off. Normally it would be fine but she didn't have her wand…"

"Ha, have fun explaining that one," she said as she tossed a stack of information papers his way before ignoring him in lieu of her magazine. Percy grabbed the papers and a quill and hazily walked over to the old wooden chairs.

Age? Weight? Address? Percy stared blankly at the forms. The Ministry supplied emergency cards for such occasions, but for once paperwork had been the last thing on his mind. He couldn't believe that he had been in charge of someone for hardly a week and he had already knocked her unconscious. How was that going to look in his career evaluation?

"Oh come _on _Weasley!" Percy said aloud, frightening the hassled mother next to him holding her young son with a bad case of dragon pox. Poor Audrey was upstairs and may never wake up and he was griping about his job? Now was not the time to be selfish. He turned back to the forms with a genuine determination, feeling he could do _something_ productive even if it was just place down his office address and guess she was about twenty.

He turned in the paperwork without bothering to strike up a second chat with the Welcome Witch and promptly returned to his seat. He felt useless, which was not an attitude he was used to coping with. He replayed the scene over and over again in his mind, reprimanding himself for his stupidity. How could he have made her figure out the potion without her wand? Everything in that closet was dangerous but he was in such a rush to get ahead that he put his need for efficiency over her safety. How ironic that such a desire led to an afternoon at the hospital instead of work. Percy shook his head before burying it in his hands and passed the time staring at his boots.

"Mr. Weasley?" a loud voice called. Percy tore himself from his haze, forgetting he was actually waiting for something to happen. He jumped out of his seat and quickly walked over to the Healer waiting for him by the lift. The man in the lime green robes motioned with a nod for the two to climb into the lift, and he did not speak until the doors were shut.

"Hello, I'm Healer Toobin. You're Ms. Larrabee's employer, is that correct?" Toobin asked, reviewing over the paperwork.

"Yeah, she's my assistant. Is she going to be alright?" Percy asked anxiously, holding his breath while the lift doors opened. The two walked out together and once clear of the doors, the Healer turned to Percy.

"What exactly happened? I was under the impression that the bad batches of Sueño had been rounded up and destroyed by the Ministry." The Healer pulled out the purple vial, holding it cautiously in front of Percy.

"I don't know about the rest of it, but that we found in a storage compartment at the Ministry. We were cleaning up and the bottle wasn't labeled and she was trying to figure out what it was. She only had it opened for a few seconds before she was trying to re cork it, but the fumes rose up and hit her so fast. Please tell me she's going to wake up!" Percy pleaded this command very emotionally, but the Healer just crossed his arms and frowned.

"That depends. How did she open it? I'm assuming for whatever reason she didn't have a wand so she had to open it manually." There was a slight accusatory tone in his voice as Toobin's eyes flickered down to the tip of wand protruding from Percy's pocket.

"She left hers at home today," Percy answered quietly. "She held the bottle out at arm's length first, and then brought it down to her waist when I told her to close it back up. Does that matter?"

"Oh yes. Whenever you find you have to open an unknown potion, those are the safety precautions you're supposed to follow. It's something you learn as a first year but many adult witches and wizards tend to ignore the advice and end up get the full blast of a dangerous potion. I used to write to Professor Snape to try and get him to press this point more often, but I had the suspicion he felt that after saying it one time, anyone who ignored his teachings deserved whatever they got."

"So Audrey's going to be okay?" he asked hopefully, pushing past the annoyance he felt that the Healer still had not answered his question.

"We have high hopes. In the past people actually had to drink the potion to be put to sleep, but Sueño is a potion that strengthens over time. However since she never put it up to her nose, she didn't get the max dose. We gave her the antidote potion we used a few years ago. It takes a bit of time to work, but if it does she should be up in a few minutes."

Percy exhaled in relief. "Can I see her?"

Healer Toobin pointed down the hall, explaining she was in room 306. Percy called out a thank you and jogged a few strides until he found her room.

She was still asleep when he got there, but she had much more color in her face and hardly any purple smoke appeared when she exhaled. Percy took the seat right next to her bed and thanked his stars. He kept himself rigid, studying her shape, looking for any sign of stirring. He wanted to know the instant she was awake so he could know she was alright. Even as the minutes ticked by Percy was unmoving, focusing every last bit of energy on his sight so he wouldn't miss any signs of life. It was because of his intense focus on movement that he was so taken aback by the deep moan that came from her throat when she didn't move any other part of her body. At least, that's what he told himself.

"Audrey?" he asked in an anxious but quiet voice. Her lips parted as another moan escaped, and her head began to shift around on her pillow. Moments later her eyes fluttered open. For having been solidly knocked out for over an hour, Percy would have assumed she would wake up groggily and slowly. However, as soon as he could see her brown eyes come into focus, her whole body lurched forward and constricted. Her hands clenched the sheets and her eyes held a mixture of terror and something akin to sadness.

"Audrey!" Percy said quickly, trying to get her attention on him. "Audrey you're okay! You're on the third floor of St. Mungos."

Audrey stared at him with little grasp of comprehension. Her brow furrowed, but she unclenched her hands and relaxed noticeably.

"St. Mungos… third floor…" Her head rose up and she stared longingly at the ceiling. Percy, unsure of what sort of side effects this potion was giving her, could only follow her gaze and look up with her. Aside from what looked like a burn mark from some wayward wand shot, there was nothing of interest above them. Audrey however, continued to look up, muttering softly as she did so. Wanting to stop such madness and ensure she was okay, Percy lightly turned her face to his and held it.

"Audrey."

"Percy? What are you doing here? What am I doing here? Why are you touching my face?" Percy retracted his hands quickly, but sighed in relief.

"That potion I had you check out. It was some wonky sleep potion. It's apparently really dangerous and just the fumes knocked you out." Percy looked at her pleadingly. Audrey however, broke into her signature soft chuckle and smile.

"Gee whiz Percy, I knew you didn't want me as your assistant but you didn't have to go and poison me."

Before Percy could break out into an apology, the accusatory Healer announced his presence at the door with the clearing of his throat. He looked at Percy with an evil glare that made him panic.

"No!" Percy jumped anxiously, "No, I didn't poison you! Tell him I didn't poison you! It was an accident!"

"It was an accident," Audrey said to Percy dryly, as if she didn't get the fuss. Percy motioned over to the doctor, trying to explain nonverbally the mess he was in.

"It was an accident," she repeated, this time to the Healer. "I was the one who opened it, he didn't ask me to. The poison thing was just a joke to help this guy out." She turned her head back to Percy, placing a concerned hand on his arm. "He looks paler than usual, which I didn't think was possible. Do you need to lie down? You can have my bed if you want."

Audrey started to climb up with a smile but Percy lightly pushed her back down, a look of exasperation etched across his face.

"Lie down! You need to rest," he scolded in a tone very much like his mother.

"But I've been resting and I feel fine!" she protested. Before Percy could try and bring the Healer into the conversation in hopes he too would stress the point that she should stay in bed, Audrey let out a sneeze. Purple smoke tumbled out of her mouth and was quickly re-inhaled. Audrey's bright face fell slightly and her body rocked back and forth as though she were once again losing balance. Percy shot out of his chair and directed her back into laying down. Audrey allowed herself to be rested against her pillow, but after a few moments she shook the drowsy look off her face, laughing a bit as she did.

"Wow, that was weird. But I feel fine _now_," she exclaimed to an unbelieving Percy.

"We were able to give you the antidote in enough time to save you from any permanent damage. However, the potion is not entirely out of your system, and you may continue to sneeze or cough some out. I suggest you hold your breath for a few seconds after you do. Besides that, you should be fine," the Healer directed.

"See, I'm fine. Can I go home now? I really don't like being here any more than necessary," Audrey said in a far off voice, her eyes once again focusing on the ceiling.

"You're free to go, but I must insist on someone trustful going with you. I could send out a nurse to help you if you don't feel comfortable with just anyone." The Healer shot Percy a hard and unforgiving look.

"Percy is great! Just the man I'd want helping me home!" Audrey patted and then held the top of Percy's clenched hand for a show of reassurance. Percy, who had been all but ready to protest the doctor's hinted accusation, was slightly taken aback by the touch. He relaxed his fist and held his hand out flat, and Audrey's thumb slid from the top to tuck itself under his. A soft squeeze left him even more befuddled, allowing the Healer time to leave without further incident.

"Hey Percy, he's gone, you don't have to be upset anymore," Audrey said softly, mistaking the far off look he had in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah, right." Percy shook his head and hesitantly slid his hand out of hers. He straightened himself from leaning over her bed and surveyed the room, trying to get his wits back with him.

"So boss, I think it's about time you took me home." Audrey threw the covers to the side and slid out of the bed, bracing herself on the nightstand as she did. Percy, now having something more direct to focus on, pulled himself together and rushed over to ensure she didn't fall again.

"Are you sure you want to go home?" He asked concernedly, "you don't seem to quite have your feet yet." Percy held out his arms for her to take. She grabbed them both to balance herself and looked down at her wobbly legs. Her hair flipped behind her head as she looked back up to Percy with her sly smile.

"I could always call the Healer back in here to check."

"Ugh, what was with him? Why did he seem so bent on believing I poisoned you?" he asked, scowling in frustration.

"It's because you look so dangerous, what with your black cloak and soot covered hair." Audrey stood on her tip toes and took one of her hands to brush the sediment that still clung to his hair from the fire place.

"People just seem to expect the worst in me," he replied with a sad smile. The look on Audrey's face when she resumed her normal standing position clearly stated she didn't find that joke funny.

"Don't talk like that, you saved my life. If you hadn't gotten me here as quickly as you did I'd be a goner. I can't thank you enough." Percy had never heard her speak so earnestly before. It made him feel more inclined to listen. He smiled down at the small witch who barely stood up to the pits of his arms and whose eyes burned as though daring him to argue with her. Percy chuckled softly, grabbing his wand out of his pocket.

"What say we take you home so you can get to bed?"


	6. The Others

Chapter 6: The Others

"I can't believe you knocked her out!" Al roared with laughter, pushing his tray down the queue in front of Zeki and Percy. "Was this some sort of strange way to get her to sleep with you because you know that expression isn't literal."

"I think she did it to herself as an escape route. I know I'd rather risk death or eternal unconsciousness than be stuck in a closet sorting through rubbish with this bloke," Zeki added, jerking his head to indicate a scowling Percy.

"Ha ha. It wasn't an escape route, it was an accident. And I appreciate you not shouting to the whole bloody lunch room your delusion that I want to sleep with my assistant," Percy said firmly, placing a small bowl of pudding on his tray.

"You don't? Merlin knows I do…" a glossed and dreamy look went over Al's face as he pondered to himself. Percy exhaled loudly in agitation and pushed Al's arm to shake him out of it.

"Stop thinking what you're thinking," Percy demanded forcefully. A sly smile crossed Al's face and he and Zeki exchanged knowing glances before they both rounded to Percy.

"Don't worry about it mate, I won't go after her, I know she's your girl. But if she offers…well, I am only a man."

"Hardly!" Percy responded, agitated at the direction of the conversation and the amount of pleasure it seemed to be giving his so-called friends. "And no one is going after her, especially me, so just stop it alright?"

"Alright, alright," Al grinned, throwing up his hands, "So what did Grumman say about all of it? I think he really likes Audrey. Not in the way _you _do, but just in the general sense."

"We just told him what happened," Percy replied as he thought back, remembering the massive look of concern and then relief his boss showed when hearing about the situation. "And for the last time I don't…"

"Speaking of people you don't want to sleep with, look who's back." Percy and Al both shot looks to where Zeki was directing. Bursting into the lunch room announced by the clicks of her very pointed heeled boots came a woman whose very presence demanded attention. She was tall, even without the shoes, unbelievably thin with milky un-freckled skin. Her pin straight white blonde hair was twisted back into a tight bun, leaving her sharply angled face and pale eyes completely exposed. From the far side of the lunch room they could see many of their male coworkers strain to get a better look at her, but she ignored all of them with a haughty and cold indifference. Percy on the other hand, turned away quickly, clenching the bars of the queue tightly.

"Don't let her see me." Percy moaned quietly.

"You're 6'5 with bright red hair, how are we supposed to hide you?" Zeki asked incredulously. Percy already knew it was too late. After a brief pause in which the woman used to scan the room, Percy heard the clicks of heels heading towards their direction. After taking a deep breath to steady himself, Percy turned to face this new disaster, trying to compose himself the best way he could. He was met with a pair of cold grey eyes, and though her thin lips smiled, a look of friendliness was not held in her gaze.

"Hello Percy," she said coyly, leaning up against the queue and folding her long arms.

"Hello Cordelia," Percy responded as flatly as possible. "How was France?"

"Charmant." Percy had to fight to keep his professional demeanor from slipping into one of aversion as she made a slightly exaggerated show of looking up and down his frame. Satisfied, she turned to the two other men glued to the spot who were watching anxiously.

"Zeeky, Albert, why don't you two run off and find a table? Give Percy and I a chance to catch up?" she said without really asking, never taking her eyes off Percy's impassive face.

"Gladly, come on _Zeeky_," Alastair rushed, grabbing his friend by the robes and directing the two far from the scene. Percy watched unhappily as the two ran off to a table far on the other side of the room.

"So..." Cordelia suggested provocatively, sweeping her fingers down the fringe of his jacket.

"What do you want Cordelia?" He tried to be as ridged and unemotional as possible, even though the knot of anger in his chest pulsed with her touch.

"Wow Percy, you sure do know how to welcome a girl back," she said with a laugh, though she retracted her hands from his lapels. She grabbed a sleek circular compact from her pocket to check her makeup quickly, smoothing out her eyelashes before slamming it shut and shoving it back into her robes.

"I was under the impression you weren't coming back. In fact, I remember that was part of your little ultimatum you gave me so much grief for."

Cordelia let out a short cackle and shifted the weight in her hips, causing her sharp thin body to look even more angular than usual. She moved forward, getting uncomfortably close, her hands once again snaking themselves through his clothes. Percy didn't step backwards but his eyes rolled and rested over to his friend's table, both of whom were watching the scene unfold.

"You remember the silliest of things," she whispered playfully. "I would think there were bigger and better parts of our relationship that would jump to mind first. I know they did for me." She accentuated her point by once again looking him up and down.

"Relationship?" he laughed, finally taking a step back, far enough for her to drop her hold on him. "I would hardly call what we had a relationship." Cordelia folded her arms, the playful look in her cold eyes vanishing.

"What's with you, Weasley? Something got a hold of you?" Percy snorted indignantly and moved his eye line back to Zeki and Al. However, it was not their faces his gaze stuck to. Audrey stood in the entrance way, her sack lunch in hand and a quizzical expression turned to him. Percy's face fell and panic ensued. Luckily, Alastair also caught sight of Audrey and waved her over to join him and Zek, which she did after giving Percy another curious look. Unfortunately, Cordelia also witnessed the full exchange. A sly smile returned to her once flustered face which made Percy feel frozen in his stance.

"Is that your little hold hmm? She's cute."

"She's my assistant," Percy growled warningly.

"But of course she is! Well, why don't we go ahead and head over? We don't want to leave her waiting now we do?" She turned quickly, walking their direction before Percy could react. Hurrying as fast as his long legs could carry him through the sea of mismatched tables, he burned through the possibilities of how he could keep Cordelia from speaking to Audrey. As usual however, he failed to reach a solution to stop her from getting what she wanted.

Alastair and Zeki watched her bridge the distance of the lunch room in a blitzkrieg pace with matching looks of concern. Audrey on the other hand, continued to happily eat her beet salad and tried to nudge Zeki into further conversation. It wasn't until Cordelia had reached the table and placed her radiating stare on her that Audrey acknowledged her presence. Audrey leaned to look around the woman to see Percy struggling between two chairs, rushing to catch up and looking completely panic stricken. Sitting back upright, she noticed the total discomfort of the two other wizards and the dominating stance the woman took. Chuckling inwardly, she rose and stretched a hand across the table. The woman gave a smile edging on a sneer and took Audrey's hand.

"Hi, I'm Cordelia Banks. Percy and I are very dear old friends, aren't we love?" she said coolly, directing the last part of her statement to her side as Percy finally managed to appear.

"Really?" Audrey asked in slight amusement, "Well, I'm his assistant, Audrey Larrabee. It really is a pleasure." Audrey let go of Cordelia's hand but continued to stay standing. She was about a head shorter than the new comer, but her face maintained a look of ease. Cordelia's eyes flicked her up and down, sizing her up much differently than she had Percy. The three men stayed motionless, hardly daring to breathe. After what seemed like ages, Cordelia broke contact with Audrey with a laugh, and once again pulled out her compact. Audrey took her seat promptly, easing back casually.

"That's a gorgeous compact you have. Where did you get it?" Audrey asked sweetly.

"Oh, this thing?" Cordelia said with a bright smile. "Just something I picked up in Paris. I lived there for the past year or so, working for the International Confederation on the British Seat. It was quiet lovely."

"I'm sure. I didn't go to Paris much when I lived in France. I mostly stayed south in Avignon. I didn't really work, but I managed to paint the most gorgeous landscapes."

Cordelia's face faltered slightly and she snapped her compact shut. She straightened up her blouse and then said in the brightest of voices:

"Oh, so you're an artist? How wonderful! You must let me see some of your work some time!"

"Definitely, we'll make a date."

"Wonderful! Now, I really must be off but we shall get together soon."

"I'm sure of it," Audrey replied coolly, returning to her homemade salad. Cordelia's smirk returned to her face and she turned to Percy. Feeling the table's eyes on her back she leaned in close, placing her hand on his chest and stood on the tips of her toes to whisper in his ear.

"Whenever you decide to dump the runt, you know where to find me," she breathed. Cordelia shot one more glance at Audrey before walking determinedly out the door, hips swaying as the clicks of her heels diminished. Percy stood staring at the table, waiting for the sound to disappear completely before bashfully taking his seat. He was pale and silent, lips pressed tightly into a small but firm line. Zeki and Al looked at their friend anxiously, wondering what to say.

"You know," Audrey said with a mouth full of beets and spinach, "I've been trying to eat healthy lately but that pudding looks so good, I just have to get one."

There was a soft clinking noise as Percy took the bowl off his tray and slid in to her direction.

"Have mine, I've lost my appetite." Audrey beamed at him and took the bowl, forgoing the rest of the salad and digging right into dessert.

"That," Alastair finally said, a look of excitement on his face, "was the coolest thing I have ever seen!"

"I know, right?" Audrey grinned, "I didn't even have to get up and get it. It was like Percy knew exactly what I needed from him _without having to say anything_."

"No, no what I meant was…"

"So Percy, since you're done eating, why don't I just take this pudding to go? It helps me from feeling too guilty about the extra calories if I walk and eat," she stated firmly, packing her bag quickly.

"Er, yeah. Okay," Percy replied, shaking out his stupor and following her out the hall, grateful that he was getting away from the table without comment. He watched her in amazement as they walked together back to his office, listening to her chatter away nonsensically about the pros and cons between pudding and ice cream. She seemed to have no comprehension of what she had just saved him from, and acted like nothing had just happened. Of course, he was starting to know her well enough to know this not to be true. He couldn't help but smile as he felt an immense amount of gratitude towards her.

"Anyways," she concluded, "I like ice cream way more but it's such a hassle to store and pudding I can eat really fast without getting a head ache. Like look, watch this." She tipped the whole content of her bowl quickly into her mouth, swallowing it all.

"Tada!" she exclaimed, opening her mouth to show it to be chocolaty but empty.

"A truly impressive skill. They should make a chocolate frog card after you," Percy joked.

"Right?" she exclaimed, walking first into the office as Percy held the door open for her. Percy sank into his chair as soon as he reached it, nerves rattling from the Cordelia encounter. He was still in a bit of shock, especially as he had assured himself he would never see her again. His life had changed drastically from the times spent associating with her, and with her supposedly permanent move across the Channel, Percy had quickly swept her out of his mind. He felt caught off guard and angry, as though her reappearance had ruined something more than just his peace of mind.

"Oh look, someone left us a pile of goodies," Audrey exclaimed as she held up a large stack of mail. Percy shrugged and smiled, happy as always to have work preoccupy his mind from uglier thoughts.

"Probably more catalogue forms,"he suggested, looking at the standardized envelopes.

"Those are always _my_ favorite," Audrey returned with sarcastic smile, sorting the mail into piles of priority for Percy to open. After sorting through a good chunk of the letters without much comment, Audrey paused upon one much thicker and more decretive than those lain in front of her. She gasped excitedly and tore the packet open quickly, even though Percy could see it clearly addressed to him.

"What is that?" he inquired, rising from his desk slightly to try and get a better look. Audrey smiled brightly with a bit lip, hugging the exposed parchment close to her chest and proceeded to bounce up and down. Though still in the loss, Percy couldn't help but become infected with her excitement.

"What's going on?" he repeated with a laugh.

"It's an invite to the Ministry's Midsummer's Night Ball!" she exclaimed with a suppressed squeal.

"Really?" Percy asked, standing up fully and securing his glasses for further look. Audrey handed him the invitation and began to waltz around the office dreamily. Sure enough, the gilded ink parchment extended a welcome to the glitzy event. The ball was normally held each summer and was a highly anticipated social event. Important witches and wizards from all over the world attended, and not just ones of high political standings. Even as direct assistant to Crouch he had never received an invite and he recalled his father only receiving one after doing a large favor for Fudge. In fact, he recalled with a smile, his mother flounced around the kitchen in quite a similar manner as Audrey when she heard.

"This is so exciting!" Audrey beamed, spinning around on her tip toes. "I love going to balls, regardless of the fact I was completely stood up for the last one." She stopped dancing momentarily and held an exaggerated sour face for a few seconds before smiling again and returning to her groove.

"It is just utterly fabulous!"

"Now wait a minute." Percy warned with the most serious face he could merit. "This invitation is addressed to Percival I. Weasley, plus one. When did I plus one you?"

Audrey's face dropped and she rushed in front of Percy so quickly he swore she had to have Apparated.

"Please Percy, you just have to let me go with you! It would be too unfair for you not to!" she begged. Percy couldn't contain himself much longer and a hint of a laugh escaped with his voice.

"Oh yeah? And what will you do for me if I take you?" he asked, finally letting his grin cross his face. He stretched his long arm over his head and dangled the invitation over her, shaking it slightly.

"I'll work overtime, weekends, I'll even stop wearing my flashy socks!" she exclaimed, jumping for emphasis. "You just have to let me go!" Percy finally broke down into a full out laugh and lowered his arm.

"Keep your socks, of course you're coming with me, who else would I invite? Although I'm sure I could get even one of Fleur's cousins to come with me with this." he shook the invitation over her head again, but this time lower enough for her to grab. She smiled at him indignantly, snatching the paper out of his grasp before he could take it away again. The sheer look of joy once again crossed her face, and with her characteristic lip bite, turned to face Percy.

"You'll really take me with you?" she asked sincerely.

"Definitely," he grinned. She released an excited squeak and before he knew it, she latched her arms around his neck and pulled him down quickly for a hug. He was so taken off guard by this his glasses went slightly crooked and he felt his neck burn. He was able to give her a weak squeeze before she stepped away, staring happily down at the invite. Percy took a few smiling seconds to breathe and rub his neck to compose himself.

"Now, you know that this won't be all fun and games. I'm sure we got this invite for Weiss and Grumman to see how we can handle hobnobbing. We have to look and act professional, maybe make a few contacts on the way. Got it?"

Audrey nodded, still barely able to contain her excitement. Percy again found himself unable to resist her joy and cracked a big smile, prompting her to give him another hug. He felt much more prepared for her outburst of affection and hugged her tighter this time, lifting her slightly off her feet.

"And just what the hell is going on here?" a deep, unhappy and unfamiliar voice called out. Percy looked up and saw a young handsome wizard with short brown hair and a very athletically cut physique leaning angrily against the door frame.

"Max!" Audrey exclaimed with a slightly guilty smile, pulling away from Percy and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She walked up to the man in the door way who gave Percy a mean glance before sweeping her up in a very hard kiss. Percy watched stoically at the scene. Audrey pulled away with a nervous giggle but kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

"Where were you, I thought we were having lunch today?" she inquired, pushing him lightly on the shoulder.

"I got caught up in practice babe, you know how it goes." He snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her uncomfortably close. "I was worried I might have left you lonely but apparently you were doing just fine without me." Max once again shot a hardening look to Percy.

"Oh, it was nothing like that," Audrey said lightly. "We were just celebrating over a little victory is all. This is Percy, my boss I told you about. Percy, this is my boyfriend Max."

Max stepped forward with his arm outstretched, and Percy grabbed his hand. Max squeezed it violently, and though Percy tried to replicate the pressure, he failed against the calloused appendage that spent the majority of its time clutching a rough broomstick, hanging on against all odds. The best he could say for himself was that he did not grimace, even though he felt his hand beat in pain when the grip was finally removed.

"So, this is the guy who put you in the hospital, huh? Should I kick his ass, babe?" He grinned, trying to push it off as a half joke.

"Max, I told you it was an accident, all my fault really. You know I'm prone to leaping before looking," Audrey said with a smile, trying to direct his face back to hers instead of shooting daggers at Percy. Percy turned his back to the couple and felt his hot face fall. What was with this guy, barging into his office during work hours, like he and Audrey didn't have loads to do? All this distraction was working Percy into a right bother, and his mind raced for a way to get him to leave.

"You know Max," Audrey said softly, "it's really great that you finally came to visit me but we really have a lot of work to get done, and it's all dreadfully boring. Why don't we just meet up later tonight?"

Before Percy's face could fully perk up from Audrey's suggestion, a folded paper airplane zoomed into the room, darting around the occupants' heads. Audrey grabbed it quickly out of assistant instinct and read the letter to herself.

"Grumman wants you in his office in ten minutes. I think there is another assignment to give," she said flatly, passing the letter on to Percy.

"Great, let Weasley wander over to the boss man and deal with the cauldron reports or whatever, and you'll stay here with me," Max stated, shoving Audrey's neatly stacked piles of mail to the side so he could sit on Percy's desk top. Audrey opened her mouth as if to speak, but held her tongue and merely shrugged. She gave Percy a half smile along with a pleading look.

"Fine," Percy replied emotionlessly, grabbing his briefcase. "I'll be back in a bit and then it's back to work."

"Brilliant." Max gave Percy one final stare down before grabbing Audrey's hand and pulling her gently to gain her full attention.

"I can't meet up with you later tonight love, the mates and me are meeting at the pub tonight and I know you go to bed early. Oh, speaking of, I left most of me money at home, can you float me a few Galleons…"

Percy shut the door quickly behind him, grateful for the silencing charm put in place when the doors were closed, just in case the thick wood didn't completely drown out the floating babble. The narrow corridor outside his office was deserted which allowed Percy to vent out the day's frustration by swiftly kicking the floor. He ran his fingers through his hair roughly; a mistake as his sleeking product caused for his stiffened hair to stay mussed. Cursing, he detoured to the nearest water closet to straighten it out.

Percy slammed the loo door which frightened the pale wizard washing his hands. Upon spying Percy's disgruntled composure the man rushed out the room without drying. Percy ignored this and walked straight to the mirror. What a day! As if Cordelia's unpleasant return wasn't bad enough, now Max had to come and interrupt the rest of his time. He was such a … distraction. Yes, having the boyfriend around would distract Audrey when she was there to help Percy; that was what was so frustrating. Percy needed to work. They could have their social time later. Much later.

Shaking his head, Percy went about smoothing his hair back into place. He then removed his glasses to wash his face. Bracing his hands on the sink, he leaned in close enough so he could see his refection with natural vision. His red hair was forced straight and swept back to cover his ears. His skin seemed perhaps a tad paler than it ought to, and his dark olive green eyes were slightly dulled with long carried exhaustion. His mother would fuss at him later, urging him to sleep more, eat fuller meals and get more sun. Maybe in a few weeks he'd stay over at the Burrow for a few days to get some rest. Not that the busy place was particularly relaxing, but it was always comfortable, always home. He took a step back, brushed his suit, and tried his best to look professional for his meeting. Then, with a curt nod, he finally allotted himself the outburst he had been holding in.

"I'm taller."

* * *

Percy had to hurry his pace, his bathroom calm down taking a bit longer than expected. He had been able to make up for the half day lost at St. Mungo's without too much effort, but he felt his standing with Grumman, who did seem to have a soft spot for Audrey, falter slightly with the incident. He was more determined than ever to prove his worth, and he broke into an outright run to assure he arrived at the office in time.

Grumman's office door was slightly cracked, and Percy teetered on whether that meant to knock or simply come right in. This moment of hesitation was filled with a shriek inside the room, causing Percy to back away. Grumman was arguing with someone, a woman. Percy could see his boss' back was turned to the hall as he faced the fire. Grumman had his hands placed firmly above his hips and his foot jittered in agitation.

"I'm not going through this again with you, Joyce! You get your ruddy alimony and that's that! I don't give a damn what your bloody brother and his kid have gotten themselves into, _your _family is not my problem anymore!"

"Since when did you even try and concern yourself with _my _problems, Spiro? All you ever cared about was your precious Ministry job, never mind your poor wife whom you left to spend her life alone in that pitiful excuse of a house…"

"Funny, you didn't seem to be alone as often as you claim. I believe an assortment of male members of your so called book club saw to give you comfort." Grumman's defense was answered with a roar of flames that quickly let themselves out, indicating that the other party had severed the connection. Grumman punched the air in frustration, spinning around as he did so. His and Percy's eyes met briefly and both wizards stood silently.

"Weasley. Early as usual. Please, come in," Grumman said softly, pushing the door open as further invite.

"I'm so sorry sir. I should have left when I realized you were busy…"

"Nonsense!" Grumman replied off handedly, giving Percy a guilty smile. "I asked you to be here, you were doing just as you're supposed to. Besides, it's no secret that me and the ex Mrs. Grumman still have our certain moments. Take a seat."

Percy, still feeling quite awkward, didn't register the command right away and stood uneasily in the doorway. He wasn't used to seeing the more personal sides of his bosses. Crouch was extremely impersonal and buttoned down, just the way Percy liked it. Scrimgeour was dealing with more pressing things than a faulty marriage, and Thicknesse, well, he was under the Imperious Curse so Percy supposed that didn't really count.

Percy was shaken out of his head with a gruff laugh from Grumman, who had gone to his desk chair before noticing Percy's inaction.

"Seriously boy, you are quite alright," he chuckled, and again offered Percy a seat. Percy scrambled away from the door and climbed into the chair in front of Grumman's desk.

"Beware of strong, pretty women Weasley. They have a way of sucking exactly what they want out of you before moving on to their next victim," Grumman stated with a soft bitterness.

"I'll keep that in mind sir," Percy replied, at a loss for any further comment.

"Right, well, to business than." Grumman shifted topics, shuffling a stack of papers at his desk.

"Shouldn't we wait for Smith?" Percy couldn't help but notice his rival's absence from this meeting, and it made him a bit nervous. He was unaware of the progress Carmen had made, and it was unlike Grumman to give any form of special treatment, especially this early in the assignment.

"Smith is busy at the moment," Grumman replied, a warmer smile on his face. "It seems you aren't the only one having problems with your assistant. Ascolese managed to get himself trapped in the Vanishing Cabinet we confiscated from Borgin and Burkes. We're having a hell of a time figuring out where he's gone to, seeing as the pair burned in the fire." Percy gave his boss a startled look.

"He'll be fine! Half the department of Magical Transportation is looking for the boy, he's bound to show up. Anyways, I've called you here to tell you your first progress report meeting is Thursday after lunch. You and Smith are to give summary presentations over what you have managed to accomplish thus far to Weiss and I. Try not to make them too long, the old man's attention span for these things has exponentially decreased."

"Yes sir!" Percy responded, happy to finally have something tangible and work related to focus on instead of more emotional drama, which seemed to be the motif of the afternoon. After laying down a few more specifics, Grumman readily dismissed Percy, sinking instantly back into his own thoughts. Percy was more than happy to get away.

He traversed the corridors in a daze. This, more than anything, was his element. Though boring to some, Percy thrived over projects and reports. It accumulated all of his work into one package, proving that all his minuscule efforts he had implemented had paid off in the grander scheme of things. That's what most people never understood about him. He saw the bigger picture and the individual details needed to create it. That is what he focused on, his pile of details and fitting them as perfectly as possible into the whole puzzle. If more people did their part like he did, Percy thought, life would run much more smoothly.

He turned the corner down to the narrow corridor that led to his office, and was torn out of his comforting thoughts by Audrey's familiar laugh.

"_Oh no_," Percy thought angrily, "_surely that brute can't still be here_." Percy felt himself fill with agitation. "_Well, he just simply has to leave. Audrey and I have far too much work to do and he needs to go immediately, no time to spare_."

Percy straightened himself up in order to face the murmured male voice that carried from his now open office door. However, when he reached his destination, he was faced not with the fit young frame of the detested Quidditch player, but with the smiling face of his father.

"Dad!" Percy exclaimed, feeling a bit surprised but quite pleasantly so. "What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see you. Audrey said she didn't know how long you'd be and we got to talking. I was just telling her about the time when you were four and you got so mad at Charlie for breaking one of your crayons you tried firing him as your brother," Arthur explained with chuckle.

"W-why?" Percy demanded cautiously, trying to control the flush in his neck. His father flinched, realizing the un intentional embarrassment he caused and cleared his throat.

"It's okay, I once convinced my little brother David he'd turn into a butterfly if he ate a bunch of caterpillars and he ended up throwing up on me," Audrey interjected with a grin.

"That's…gross," Percy responded, but laughed when she shrugged good naturedly about her own childhood embarrassments.

"Speaking of Charlie," Arthur drawled, "he's coming to town for a three day conference this week. He said his schedule's pretty packed but he's coming to dinner on Wednesday so your mother is going all out. The whole family is going to be there."

Percy's face dropped and he felt himself stutter to get out his disappointed words.

"We have a huge presentation on Thursday. We're going to have to work late just to make it as it is…" He watched his father's countenance drop. Here he was, leaving his family for work all over again. Charlie rarely got a chance to make it out and Percy knew how much it meant to his mother to have all her remaining children around her whenever it was possible. Hell, it meant a lot to him too.

"I don't mind working after dinner," Audrey interjected, sticking her head in between the depressed gazes. Percy looked at her in astonishment.

"Are you sure? You hate working late."

"Are you kidding me? I can afford to skip a night of doing nothing at my flat so you can be with your family. I don't mind burning the midnight oil with your obsessive compulsions if there is an actual reason."

"Wow, thank you. That's, that's great," Percy sputtered. She gave him a warm smile which he eagerly returned. They both laughed nervously after keeping one another's gaze a bit too long, which Audrey rectified with a gentle rolling of the eyes.

"You know Audrey, you're more than welcome to come," Arthur suggested, beaming at the two of them.

"Oh! That would be very lovely. But I'm sure you want it to just be family…"

"Are you kidding? The more the merrier! Harry and Hermione will be there too, and new friends of our children are always welcome," Arthur insisted. An excited smile started to etch across Audrey's face, but she turned to Percy instead of responding directly to the invite.

"It's up to you Percy, I don't want to intrude…"

"Yes," Percy said quickly. He was slightly surprised at the speed of his answer; indeed he hadn't given the situation any thought. But his new found instincts proved beneficial as Audrey released the full extent of her smile and rounded back to Mr. Weasley.

"I'd love to come," she answered genuinely, "It's been ages since I've seen a score of Weasleys."

"Great, I'll tell Molly you're coming. She'll be thrilled."

Arthur bid his son and assistant good bye, citing he knew the amount of work they had before them. He could not, however, keep from beaming at the thought that finally Percy would quiet literally be bringing something besides work to the dinner table.


	7. Family: Part One

Chapter 7: Family, Part One

"What the bloody blazes do you mean level 5 has been quarantined?" Percy demanded fiercely to the hassled looking warlock blocking the lift.

"I already told you," the old man snipped, obviously tired at having answered the same question to annoyed officials all morning. "The Doxy broke out their cages and flew up the vents to level five and have begun to build their nests. The Ministry has shut down the floor for the day for obvious safety reasons and it will remain shut until the Pest Advisory board can sort it out."

"But I have a very important presentation due _tomorrow, _and all of my papers are in my office. My whole career is at stake here!" With wide eyes, Percy tried with all his might to get the man to understand the dire situation at hand. The aged warlock merely laughed gruffly and smiled with blackened teeth.

"You really wanna go fight the biting faeries for your bits of parchment, be my guest. I just hope you have ample amounts of Doxy anti venom on hand. The maintenance blokes who went to clean early this morning are in emergency care at St. Mungos, as are three of the rescue workers who went to save them. Didn't get two meters passed the lift doors from what I heard." The man gave Percy another toothy grin, amused at the pompous child's retraction after hearing the more gruesome details.

"That's right, back away," he snarled, snorting in what seemed to be a large lodge of mucus. "I'd like to see any chap try and make his way through those halls without a massive amount of Doxycide, high powered magic and half a dozen backups blokes behind him."

Before Percy could push his anger and disgust towards the man aside and find a response which accurately described his feelings for the situation, the lift doors behind the warlock sprung open. The man turned around with a shocked expression when confronted with the ruffled but cheery olive skinned face that stood a few inches below his own.

"What the hell… no one is allowed up there! We have a Doxy infestation!" he cried in agitation.

"Yeah, I noticed," Audrey replied offhandedly as she used her free hand to smooth out the curls of her mussed umber hair. The warlock continued to block her from exiting the lift, his expression demanding further explanation.

"What?" she asked incredulously, "I left my sketch book up there yesterday. This contains eight months of carefully done work and I was not about to let it be ripped to shreds." Audrey waved the thick book in front of the dumbfounded man's face for further emphasis. Percy saw with a wave of relief she had also stuffed his files between the covers, and exhaled visibly as she rested her savings against her shifted hip.

"How did…what did you… I can't believe a little _girl_…"

"Oh, blow it out your backside Dworkin!" Audrey cursed, succumbing to a flash of temper, and pushed the man out of her way to join Percy's side.

"Here you go!" she said brightly, all signs of annoyance vanishing after she passed the still Confunded Dworkin, and handed Percy the mostly undamaged files. Percy flipped through their contents, ensuring he had all the necessary documents. Upon confirming this, Percy rushed to catch up with Audrey who had continued to walk into the depths of the Atrium.

"Come on, they've set up work spaces for us in the lunch room," Audrey informed as she tried to contain a slightly smug smile that kept creeping across her face.

"That was brilliant!" Percy beamed, slowing his pace as he walked beside her. "How did you manage to get through the swarm?"

"I dunno," she shrugged "I just sort of ducked, covered and ran like hell. It's not exactly a high science."

"Well I'm impressed," Percy replied with a laugh. However, his amusement was cut short when they rounded the corner to confront a large and noisy crowd of people right outside the lunch room. It seemed half the Ministry convened around the hall, all talking loudly about the mornings events with a lazed enthusiasm. Percy could see the work stations far beyond the crowd and saw even more groups of people huddled around desks, laughing as they spoke to one another over cups of coffee.

"My word, does this whole ruddy place shut down over one closed floor? All the other levels are open people!" Percy shouted as he pushed his way closer to the lunch room entrance.

"Oh Percy, calm down," Audrey started with a laugh as she scanned the scene. "It's just some harmless morning chatter. They'll all get back to work when…"

Audrey's observational hypothesis was cut off suddenly, and for a brief second Percy thought she had disappeared midsentence as she no longer seemed to be standing next to him. A moment later however, a tug on his robes pulled Percy's upper body down to a hunch. He found Audrey crouching as low as she could as she began to navigate between the crowd, her continuing grip on his clothes ensuring he followed in tow. After being dragged halfway across the entryway, Audrey stopped them behind one of the massive support columns and flattened herself as best she could behind its girth.

"What's going on now?" Percy hissed in annoyance, his irritation building after a day already full of unwanted surprises.

"Gee whiz Percy, we're hiding, what else would we be doing?" she returned a bit snippily. She paused her paranoid stance long enough to give him an apologetic wince, before once again fidgeting around the column in an effort to both stare at the crowd and remain hidden.

"From whom?" he asked incredulously, stepping out from their hiding spot to scan the crowd for some kind of danger. Audrey shot out her arm to pull him back, sinking low as she did.

"What's going on?" Percy repeated firmly, his nerves starting to wear thinner with each upset.

"Oh, oh alright then," Audrey replied hesitantly. "You see that couple over there talking to Mafalda Hopkirk?" Percy searched the crowd until his eyes rest on the tall and tanned middle aged man who stood next to a slightly younger attractive witch with dark auburn hair.

"Yeah…who are they?" he inquired, watching Hopkirk laugh at the last statement the man had made.

"The man is Gatsby Lancaster and that's his sister Joyce. I sort of… well, I used to date his son, and let's just say it didn't end well." Audrey sunk all the way to the floor after this statement, pulling one knee close to her chest while the other leg slid out in front, reveling her neon green and black stripped stockings from underneath her otherwise work appropriate robes.

"Oh," Percy said quietly, looking at the couple one last time before rounding to his slumped assistant. A thousand questions raced through his mind as he wrapped his head around what she had said. He desired to push her for more in order to understand the full reasoning for this strange predicament, but the look of upmost misery on her face and the memory of how she had saved him from an unpleasant ex without question not only a week before stopped him.

"Okay, well what do you want us to do?" he asked as kindly as he could. "We can't hide around the column all day and we still have a lot of work to do before dinner tonight."

Audrey's eyes darted back and forth as she thought of a solution. Finally, she gripped Percy's robes and tugged on them as a request to be helped up.

"We'll go to my place. No one will notice we're gone and we can finish working on the presentation in peace. I'll even cook us a light lunch." Percy grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet. Once grounded, she continued to hold both his forearms so as to stance herself perfectly in front of him, looking at him with a pleading sincerity. Moody as he still was, Percy felt an overwhelming urge to give her anything she asked of him when she looked at him like that; lip slightly bit, chocolate eyes wide, wild fly-away hair skewed around from being run through with frustrated fingers. He was not used to being so taken aback and it took him a few moments for him to gain a sense of awareness.

"Er…yeah. I suppose, given the delicate circumstances of the day we can work from your place," Percy replied, fidgeting uncomfortably. Reading his shifts as a sign of physical discomfort, Audrey withdrew her hands from his arms and suppressed her normal bout of affection, choosing instead to beam and straighten out her hair in sign of gratitude.

________________________________________________

The strong smell of garbage was the first indication that the pair had reached their destination. Shuffling carefully around a strategically placed refrigerator box, Percy poked out his head to assure that the alley was clear. Except for a rather large rat he could have gone without seeing, there were no signs of life in the dingy narrow street. He tilted his head to signal that the coast was clear and began to journey down the way, dusting off the rubbish debris his robes had accumulated. A loud crash behind him caused Percy to spin around instinctively, but he immediately calmed as he saw Audrey toppled over the bulky cardboard box they had used to shield their magical arrival from any Muggle eyes.

"Damn…stupid…_ewww_ _smelly_ box!" Audrey cursed, using her bulky boot to kick the case away. However, it only scooted a couple of feet before disappearing and reappearing back to standing position in the corner of the alley.

"You act like you've never used this spot before," Percy commented, half amused, half suspicious.

"Yeah, well I normally Apparate a bit closer to my flat. The whole 'hobo sheik' smell I pick up from this place isn't really my style," she returned offhandedly, cautiously eying the plump rat waddling behind the magically restored container.

"But this is the closest Ministry-approved Apparation check point to your place. I checked before I took you home from St. Mungos!" he exclaimed. "You know it's not safe or legal to just 'pop' anywhere in the Muggle world, you risk being seen!"

"I still come to the ally! Just not this far back, it's so icky," she explained defensively as they rounded the alley corner to the proper street. Old and dingy buildings lined the uncared for road and browning weeds from the summer's heat grew unchecked from the cracks in the sidewalk. Boards covered the broken windows of the dilapidated warehouse across the lane while twisted iron bars filled the rest of them. Rubbish piled itself against the chipped brick frames of the worn edifices which were plastered over with torn and faded posters. Percy felt himself grow uneasy. He hadn't given Audrey's neighborhood surroundings a proper look the night he dropped her off, but he knew had Ginny ever chosen this location for her first living venture away from home and school, he and a number of his family members would have forbidden it.

"If you're going to break the laws laid out by the Magical Transportation office, why not Apparate straight inside your flat? This neighborhood doesn't exactly look safe," Percy tried to ebb the nervousness out of his voice, but Audrey caught on with a laugh.

"Don't be scared Percy, I'll protect you," she said with batted lashes.

"I'm not scared!" he exclaimed loudly. "This place looks unsafe and it's unwise for a young woman to walk the streets alone." He finished his comments with a brief snort and folded his arms across his chest.

"I appreciate the concern but I promise you this place is not as bad as it looks. Besides, I already told you I have to walk in and out of my place so Mrs. Ainsley doesn't get suspicious," Audrey replied carefully.

"Ah yes, the nosy Muggle landlady." Percy recalled the last time he walked these streets, half carrying the drowsy but chipper Audrey back to her place as the occasional hiccup left her susceptible to incapacitation. However, after allowing him to take her as far as the building, Audrey insisted that Percy go no further than the door. Her landlady, whom she claimed was very set in her old-fashioned ways, had barred "unrelated visitors from the opposite sex" from entering past sundown. Though legally there was not much the women could do, and in spite of Audrey having mastered a number of techniques to step around the rule, she implored to Percy that his presence would draw a fuss from the ever-watchful Mrs. Ainsley. She concluded that during the time they spent trying to convince her he was a cousin from out of town Audrey would inevitably cough up a cloud of purple smoke, elongating the night much further than it needed to be. So, with only a promise that she would go straight to bed, Percy never got past the thick double oak doors he espied down the end of the street.

Once again it seemed that Percy would be stalled from entering the building as Audrey stopped suddenly only half a block away from her flat, turning instead into one of the shabby stores along the way.

"Where are you going?" Percy demanded, feet planted on the walk way as she ascended up the small stoop.

"To the market," she pointed inside the dark room for emphasis before continuing up the stairs.

"But we have all that work to do!" he exclaimed with indignation, aghast at this further time waste.

"You're being awfully fussy today," she stated, cocking her head to the side.

"I'm not being fussy!" he replied, in a tone he immediately realized did not help his case. He cleared his throat and steadied his voice before continuing. "We're still not done with the presentation and I am just anxious to finish. This is very important to me and I would appreciate it if we could just run your errands later." Audrey flashed him a smile and shifted out her hip.

"We're not running errands, we're buying lunch. It'll only take a second." She left the stoop and walked into the store before Percy could further comment. "This will go a lot quicker if you stop sulking and come help me!" she called from the recesses of the market. Percy snorted with frustration, but accepted her premise and hurried up the steps. The place was small, more a convince store with a shanty produce section and a questionable looking lunch counter than a proper market. He found Audrey standing in the back in front of the vegetables, humming as she sorted through the stocks of celery.

"I was going to make a stew, light and hearty. What do you think?" she asked casually, holding a slightly wilted carrot in front of his face.

"Sure, I don't care," he answered impatiently, jittering his foot. "I just want to hurry and get to work."

"You act like we haven't even started! All we have to do is reorganize the files and have you re read through them. I'm sure you've already practiced what you were going to say a dozen times."

"And I'd like to go through it a dozen more. This is the first big test for me to prove myself and I don't want to blow it! And I don't like onions!" he explained as Audrey rolled the vegetable between her palms. This last exclamation made her laugh, and after putting the onion back on the stand, she turned to Percy, smiling warmly and lightly cupped his face with her hand.

"Percy, sweetie, everything is going to be okay, stop being so hard on yourself! We'll go back to my flat, I'll make us lunch, and you'll recite your gatherings so many times that _I'll_ have it memorized. You put together a good presentation, now you just have to relax and let it flow, okay?" she patted his check lightly after speaking, and Percy felt his face burn red. He stood on the spot for a few moments, relishing in the warm sensation that pulsated down his body from her contact. As the feeling lingered long after she had turned and headed to the lunch counter, Percy had to shake it off. He muttered something about the drafts in old buildings. He caught up to Audrey as she stood at the lunch counter, displaying her chosen produce to the beefy Muggle behind the counter for him to ring up.

"Oh, and the usual Bob, if you have it," she said lightly. The Muggle grunted and headed to the back, returning shortly with a large paper bag greatly damped with grease. Audrey seemed undeterred by this and accepted the sack without even checking its containments.

"I thought you said we were having stew," he said cautiously, deciding he did not want to know what was in the bag.

"You know Percy, not everything is about you," she teased, handing the counter attendant some Muggle money as he packaged up her groceries.

"But I… you know, never mind. It seems that things will go a lot quicker if I just don't ask," he resigned.

"That's the ticket!" she said brightly, shoving the heavier bag of produce into his arms to carry as she held the mystery bag on her own. He followed her out the door, relieved as she marched in the direction of her apartment building. Compared to the others in its surroundings, her dwelling was in good shape. The area outside was clean and weed free and none of the windows were boarded up. The doors were sturdy and felt heavy as he opened them, which he reasoned when locked would be at least a decent form of protection against Muggle intruders.

"Hold on," she said quickly, grabbing his outstretched arm that held the door.

"What now?" he demanded.

"I'm just preparing you," she replied. "Like I said, my landlady is a vicious old harpy. I want you to promise me that you will follow my lead to the letter, look straight ahead, and if at all possible, disregard anything she says."

Percy began to laugh, waiting for her joking smile to spread across her face. When it remained serious after several moments however, he stopped and began to feel concerned.

"You're serious?" he asked.

"As a Skrewt burn," she answered before kneeling to the ground. She ripped open the greased paper bag in her arms to reveal a slimy chicken liver. Dumbfounded, Percy watched in silence as she let out a low pitched whistle. Her call was answered by a loud yap and the scurrying of clawed feet on hardwood. From down the stairs descended a small white curly haired poodle with a blue velvet bow perched on his head. He ran straight for the food that Audrey presented without delay. Audrey stood up quickly, grabbed Percy's arm, and pulled him into the lobby and up the stairs.

"Come on, we don't have much time," she rushed. Indeed, Percy swung around to see the dog finish its chicken liver and immediately bark at the two of them as though sounding an alarm. Audrey hurried him faster up the flight of stairs as the dog scurried away to an office on the bottom floor.

"What is it Muffin?" cracked an old Irish voice. "Is that Larrabee girl sneaking in that boy again?" Percy heard Audrey grumble something under her breath as she led them up the final flight of stairs.

"Why exactly do you live in a boarding house with a wing nut landlady in a bad Muggle neighborhood?" Percy inquired sincerely. "I know that is a rather personal question but I know what you get paid and you could afford a nice small Wizarding flat in a safer area."

"It's really not all that bad," she explained, turning off at the fourth floor. "The Muggle exchange rate is good because their economy is struggling; I get this place for a steal. It allows me extra money for other expenditures."

"Like art supplies?" Percy suggested, trying to understand her reasoning.

"Among other things," she replied, with a strange mix of a sad smile. Percy looked at her inquisitively, but instead of expanding on her comment she walked onward to one of the doors at the end of the hall. That was the second time today she declined speak on a personal matter that was unintentionally brought up. He found this particularly odd of her, as she usually volunteered more than enough information about herself when the chance presented. There was something about her she was keeping hidden. He made a mental note to try and pay closer attention to her mannerisms and the off handed things she said, not exactly to unearth her secret, but to assure she felt comfortable around him. Audrey had gotten remarkably good at reading his moods and trying to meet his needs, he felt that he should do the same. It was also, he admitted to himself, very distressing when she pulled away.

They made their way down the end of the dimly lit hall to the last door on the left. Audrey stopped in front of it and took her keys out to open the lock. She pushed open the door for Percy to go inside, hanging back to put her keys in her purse. Percy walked in and was surprised to see the flat to be much roomier than he expected. The kitchen opened up in to a decent sized living room. At the end of the room was a windowed wall which looked over the street and let in a cheerful amount of sun. Two more doors extended to what looked like an office and a bedroom. In between the two was a large poster of four fairly hair men, one without shoes, walking across a busy London street. A large record player held a place of honor underneath on a small oak table. The other wall held an old whitewashed piano and a huge bookcase, half filled with scores of books, the rest dedicated to hundreds of multicolored records.

"See," she said from behind, putting her bags on the kitchen counter. "It's not so bad. It's not like I live in a closet or anything."

"I'll admit this place is even bigger than my own. However, it's not quite as…cluttered," he said smiling. Indeed, throughout the vicinity of the living room were bits of spare parchment, dull quills, an assortment of empty coffee cups and a propulsion of clothes that suggested her closet had exploded.

"You trying to say I'm untidy?" she asked with mock resentment.

"Actually my first impression was that you had been robbed," he admitted. "But your demeanor suggests otherwise."

"Ha, ha and also ha," she said, as she began to sort through her cabinets grabbing pots and spices for the stew she began to make. Percy walked behind her, eager at the chance to give her a spot of teasing for a change.

"Cinnamon, ginger, hellebore, knotgrass, sugar… isn't it a bit dangerous to mix your cooking ingredients with your potion supplies?" he suggested as he leaned in for a closer look at her spice cabinet.

"Don't you have some work you were anxious to get to? Or is bugging me on my lack of usable storage space part of your presentation?" she asked with an edge of an attitude.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help. Don't get so worked up. Just relax and let it flow," he said with a grin. Audrey took the paper bag and balled it up quickly before chucking it hard right at his head. Percy laughed as it fell into his hands after hitting his square between the eyes and gave her his best impression of the twin's lazy sheepish grin.

"Keep it up and I'll flow you right out of my apartment," she replied, laughing in kind. Percy nodded and left her to cook in the kitchen. "There is parchment in the office if you need it. I didn't grab any spares as I made my way out."

Eager to look around a bit, Percy walked through the door closest to the window under this premise. Un like the living room and kitchen, her office was clutter free and well organized. A black wired shelf stood against the wall holding labeled boxes of art supplies and coffee canisters containing brushes of different size and calibers. Stacked precariously next to it were a dozen or so unframed but seemingly completed canvases. Having seen only a few of her sketches, he was intrigued to see more of her work. He was surprised at the first painting he saw, its dotted style looking extremely familiar. Yet he knew as he watched the blue and white clouds swirl by the distant mountains the touch was her own. He continued to shuffle through the portraits, each one varying from the next in subject matter: a stormy ocean crashing violently into a cliff, a single lovely daisy placed against a simple green background, Hogwarts from afar, a sandy haired man holding a small brown eyed child. Though Percy knew less about art than he liked to admit, all her work was intriguing and well detailed, beautiful but real. After he completed searching through the pile, he returned to the first portrait of the roaming dashed clouds over the countryside, trying hard to remember why it looked so familiar.

"It's my own knock off of Starry Night," Audrey said suddenly, leaning against the door frame. Percy straightened out the picture before stepping away guiltily. He had a feeling she had been watching him for awhile as he intruded upon her artwork. Indeed, he suddenly became aware of the lengthy amount of time he must have spent inside her studio, much longer than necessary to find the clearly labeled box full of parchment.

"I'm sorry, I just got distracted and…" he began, fumbling out an intrusive apology.

"Don't be sorry. It took me ages to get the style down on this, it really ought to be looked at," she grinned with a slightly pronounced pride in her work.

"What did you say this was?" he inquired, relieved she was not angry. "I know I have seen a Muggle painting like this before."

"Starry Night by van Gogh, it was always one of my favorites. I was so inspired by it I went to France after graduation to paint my own. It took me awhile to master his lines of motion, but when I got it down I wanted to paint a magical version of it. In the original, the stars are all in their correct astronomical positions from his view point during the time he painted, so I made one where the stars are lined up year round during the night, and each day the clouds correspond to the conditions in Avignon." Her fingers traced along as the clouds spiraled around the Alpilles mountains in the background.

"That's brilliant!" he said in awe. "Like, I can't even express how cool that is." Audrey beamed at him and looked down proudly at her painting. Her smile flickered slightly before turning the painting back into its stacked position. She quickly grabbed the box of parchment off the shelves and motioned with her head to return to the living room.

"Why do you keep all of your artwork in the studio?" he asked, dimming his eyes as he entered the sun soaked room. "Why not in a gallery or at least on your walls? All you have up is that giant poster of what looks like the Muggle version of the Weird Sisters."

"Okay, first off, Abbey Road is a masterpiece and I defy you to find any higher form of art then the Beatles," she said firmly, looking dreamily at the four men splashed across her wall.

"Are you a Muggle-born than?" he inquired casually, looking lightly up at the band as he tried to make good on his promise to get to know more about her. Audrey laughed sheepishly at the question and grinned.

"Not exactly… it's sort of complicated."

"How so?" he asked with a genuine interest. Audrey looked at him strangely, as though trying to figure out some sort of angle, perhaps not used to him inquiring about her personal life.

"I'm serious!" he continued. "I don't really know much about your childhood, and seeing as you're probably about to be immersed in tales from mine when we go to the Burrow, its only fair I hear a bit about you." Though she smiled at this, Percy felt her begin to hesitate. It hadn't slipped his mind how she avoided his question about her paintings and he feared he was treading again on rocky territory. However, Audrey soon cleared her throat and chose a place to begin.

"My mother's a Muggle-born. Her parents emigrated here from Italy when she was a baby and encouraged her to immerse herself in the new culture, which in the 60's meant the Beatles. Not exactly what my librarian grandparents had in mind, but they wanted her to fit in," she said with a laugh. "Lucky for her they used that same kind of gusto when they found out she was a witch."

"Now my father on the other hand, is another story. His dad was a wizard but he didn't tell my Muggle grandmother that until after they were married. The marriage didn't really work out after that and he took off before my dad was born. She remarried another Muggle, Daniel Larrabee, who adopted my dad, and she never told either of them about her first husband's "special talents". I guess she hoped if my dad didn't know he was magical, he wouldn't be a wizard. Well, we know how that works out." She grinned a bit before continuing on. "Anyways, he was really into the same music scene growing up as my mother was. When they had my siblings and I they imparted that passion to us and, well…" she swept her hand across her living room, showcasing her vast amount of albums.

"I see. So you're not technically a Muggle-born, but you definitely had a lot of it's influence," he surmised.

"Yeah, it was really cool. I got a kind of 'best of both worlds' type of thing."

"You said you have siblings? I remember you mentioning your brother David but I never heard of any other Larrabee's in school," he continued asking as they moved away from the poster to the stuffed threadbare couch.

"They're a lot younger than I am. I was a bit of a surprise to my parents right out of school and they were a bit more careful after they were married."

"Oh," Said Percy lightly, understanding the implication. Audrey smiled, proving she was not embarrassed about her statement.

"What do you expect from a couple who met in detention?" she laughed. Percy replied in kind, feeling much more at ease. "Anyways, David is 15 and Amaline will turn 13 at the end of the summer. They're tons of fun. You actually remind me a bit of my brother. He's always been the sound one compared to our rockstar parents and his rowdy sisters."

"Sounds like a fun bunch of people. I'd like to meet them one day," he said casually. Once again Audrey's smile flickered and her normally silver tongue tarnished. Though he meant to be nothing but good natured, he realized that this could be a slightly forward thing to say. He had become accustomed to talking to Audrey freely and without censor in all their other conversations he hadn't put much thought into being more reserved. This was however one of their first truly personal talks and perhaps he was being a bit frank. Wishing to maintain the light atmosphere of their pre-lunch conversation, he switched topics quickly before her hesitation became awkward.

"So these 'Beetles', are they really any good?" he inquired, looking back at the poster behind him.

"Uh, yeah!" she said emphatically. "They are arguably one of the best and most influential bands ever."

"Huh," he shrugged, containing a grin. "I've never heard of them."

"That's because you're about as cultured as a flubberworm," she scoffed, jumping off the couch to attend to the stew that simmered on the stove. He watched her stir it lightly, humming an unknown but pretty melody. Feeling his eyes on her, she shot him a cutesy smile before returning to her cooking. Percy let out a laugh and settled down to get to work. As he shuffled through the slightly ruffled paperwork, he realized Audrey was quite correct at his level of preparedness for tomorrow's presentation. His figures were accurate and they had built well organized tables displaying their data. All that was really left to do was practice exactly what he wanted to say and with the bulk of his notes memorized this would come fairly easy. By the time Audrey placed the steaming bowl of stew in front of him he had already gone through over half of his presentation flawlessly.

"See, I told you there was no need to worry. You have this down!" she said gleefully, plopping down on the other side of the couch with her bowl and spoon.

"Yes, I suppose I was a little over anxious today," he admitted after his first bite. "I just get worked up when things are beyond my control." Audrey snorted.

"When are things ever in anyone's control?" she asked between her own sips. Percy only shrugged. Though the weight of his presentation was tangible, he felt oddly relaxed sitting amongst Audrey's scattered belongings as she chased her potatoes around in her soup. The overwhelming urge to stretch out on the couch and sleep began to etch through his body. In the past week he and Audrey had been staying up late in preparation, and even the little amount of sleep he normally acquired had suffered. As Audrey let out a lion's yawn he imagined she suffered with him. He entertained for a brief moment the image of the two of them pushing aside their bowls and succumbing to a much needed nap. Strange, he thought to himself, where did that come from? As a child he did enjoy a shared nap with his mother or Ginny, but since he had grown up he always preferred to sleep alone. He had worn through sharing a bed with Penelope as a non negotiable obligation when in a serious relationship, but had upon every other occasion reneged upon offers of sleeping alongside someone else. He had even disliked sharing a dormitory at school, preferring his few hours not buried in his study to pass in privacy. He shook the thought away, dismissing any further indulgence in it, and ran his hands through his hair to wake him up. Once again, he felt the awkward position of his mussed hair on top of his head as it stuck out due to his sleeking product.

"Blast," he muttered. "I really need to get my hair trimmed."

"I always wondered about that," Audrey mused with a sideways glance.

"Wondered about what?" he asked as he tried to flatten out his hair. Audrey put her bowl on the table before reaching across the couch to lightly touch the out of place locks. Percy felt his heart race from the sudden contact. He must have been startled.

"Why you keep your hair so long. Not that I don't dig the look on guys, but your much more traditional, especially in your looks, and you always just have it so sleeked back." Percy retracted from her out stretched hand, straightening out his posture.

"This is a perfectly acceptable hairstyle," he defended curtly. Audrey smiled.

"Well it is certainly different than the pile of curls you had at school," she replied.

"Yes. When my mother had her way I looked like an orange muffin," he said seriously. This caused Audrey to double over in laughter, getting on all fours on the couch. Percy couldn't help but smile at her reaction, and eased off his offense at her light criticisms of his appearance. After a few moments, Audrey crawled over to his side, propped up on her knees, and started to systematically pick at his hair. He was perplexed at this action, but found himself enticed. As she played around with his stiffed locks, he breathed in a scent of fresh parchment and hint of berries from her hair. Not all together an unpleasant aroma. Audrey soon pulled away, leaning back on her haunches, her face set in a quizzical look.

"So why now as an adult do you keep it long and sleek it back. Embrace your curls!" she said with pride, shaking her own violently as a banner.

"It's not the curls I have a problem with," he stated quietly. Audrey continued to stare at him, waiting intently for his answer. "Alright. I keep it long and sweep it back because… because my ears stick out so much." He pushed back his hair to reveal what he felt were massive protrusions from his head. Audrey quickly covered her smile with her hand, further proving Percy's point. He patted his hair back over for cover.

"They totally do!" she squealed happily. Percy leaned back against the worn arm rest, sighing as she took delight in this. She quickly gained control over her smile and stopped her glee over his self consciousness. Instead, she looked at him intently for awhile, flicking her eyes back and forth as she seemingly contemplated something deep.

"Let me cut your hair," she said finally.

"What?" he exclaimed with a laugh. "No."

"Come on, you don't trust me?" she asked playfully, roughing his hair again.

"Trust has nothing to do with it, I need to look professional and I have a barber…"

"Yeah, a lousy one," she interjected. "I used to cut my dad's hair all the time and he owned his own business and had to look nice. You're in desperate need of a makeover, your hair now makes you look so stiffy."

"Most people would probably consider me to be 'stiffy'," he pointed out as he self-consciously patted down his hair.

"Thus the need for a new look," she replied simply. "You're hiding the best parts of you."

"What are you talking about?" Percy was thoroughly confused at this statement and how it connected at all to his hair.

"You do project this stuffy persona to people, you always have. You stand behind your rules and your grades and responsibilities to force people to taking you seriously. But I've been around you for nearly every day this month and there is a lot more to you than that. You're relaxed and witty around your friends, a dutiful son, a good and understanding boss who can actually be funny at times. All these qualities add up to someone who is actually likeable. Your ridged appearance and front just throw people off."

Percy was taken aback by this, stunned at what she had said and unable to find a way to respond. Audrey chuckled softly at his silence and leaned back again on her haunches.

"Besides," she said with a quark of her head, "I think your ears are cute." This made Percy burst into a laugh, and however nervous of a one it was, it did help him break his silence.

"I think you are just trying to flatter me into getting what you want," he responded coyly, though his look stayed at his shoes.

"Well I learned from the best," she shot back. "I promise you'll still look professional, just a little more in tune with today. Besides, I'm the one who has to look at you all day, you think I want to stare at a botched hair cut?"

"I suppose not..." he said slowly. He looked at Audrey's eager and smiling face and he could practically hear the thoughts in her head egging him on.

"Oh what the hell," he finally admitted, "But make me look bad and I'll sic Muffin on you."


	8. Family: Part Two

Chapter 8: Family, Part Two

"I don't know about this…"

"What are you talking about, it's great!"

"I'm just not sure it's me."

"Why, because it makes you look cool?"

"Well…to be frank, yes." Percy nervously ran his fingers through his recently chopped hair. It was considerably shorter than he was used to, perhaps now just two inches in length. Only an hour before, Audrey had forced his head into her kitchen sink and scrubbed frantically to wash out his heavily used sleeking product. After staring at his water logged locks, watching them bounce back up into their natural curl, she began to systematically hack away. As he gazed in horror at the three inch strand that lay at his feet, he immediately regretted agreeing to this situation. Though admittedly much more professional looking, Percy had moved away from short hair as soon as he reached adulthood. His mother had given her sons frequent short hair cuts while they grew up, which though a touchy event for them all, suited the straight haired Bill, Ron and twins fairly well. Only he and Charlie inherited the thick curly locks of the Prewett's, and his older brother's rounded face held the shortened style well. Only Percy, with his father's long and oval shaped head bared badly, and his mother could never quite figure out how to cut his hair without the curls piling on top. His mind quickly raced through his memories, knowing somewhere tucked away was a hair growth charm he had learned back in second year, intending to use it as soon as the Latin phrase appeared.

"I don't know why you use the sleeking stuff. Your hair is so thick and soft without it." Audrey said off handedly as she ran her fingers through, slightly massaging his scalp. That was when all high level brain function was cut off. He spent the next ten minutes in some form of a trance as she continued to play with his hair as she cut it. It was only when she turned to face him, her nose mere centimeters away from his, that he pulled himself out of the recesses of his mind.

"Wow she's close." He thought as she added her finishing touches, "Oh no, she must almost be done! Huh, she has freckles on her nose, how have I not noticed that? How does she always smell like berries and cinnamon? Crap, my hair!" Audrey finally pulled away, grinning at her handiwork. Percy felt the tufts of curls on top of his head and dashed to the bathroom. However, as he flicked on the light to assess the damage done, he realized this was not the haircut of his childhood. She had let the sides stay longer then the top, yet it somehow created the illusion of equal length. Instead of thick curls piled on top of one another, they sprawled out and flowed. It was hectic, as curls tended to be, but somehow not messy. It even borderlined on edgy.

"See." She said amusedly, watching his shocked expression as she leaned against the door frame, "I told you I know how to handle curls."

At her flat he had nodded in agreement. It would defiantly be easier to maintain, she told him if he wanted it to be more uniformed for work to just add a little mousse. But now as they walked up the hill outside Ottery St. Catchpole, minutes away from the Burrow, he began to revert to his original hesitance. Though it was only a haircut, Percy felt it was a drastic change. He was known throughout his family as being set in his ways, predictable, stoic. Even through the last year and his desperate attempts to make amends, he did so in a traditional Percy fashion. And now all of a sudden he felt he was bringing about a double wammy; a new look, given by the pretty witch accompanying him. The only guest, he realized, he had ever brought home for his family to meet. That had to bring about some kind of connotation, though he wasn't quite sure what it might be. All he knew was he didn't want to set the wrong sort of impression.

"You know, about dinner…" he began, unsure of what he wanted to say. Audrey turned to face him as they quickly approached the house, smiling brightly. He tried to muster up what he wanted to say while simultaneously deciding exactly what that was. He feared rocking the boat either way, and bringing up his unsorted worries might hurt her feelings. He wasn't able to diverge any further before Audrey reactively grabbed the nape of his robes to pull him down in time to save him from the large pair of trainers that shot around quickly from the sky.

"That throw was a bit of an overkill mate!" yelled the wizard with unruly jet black hair, bobbing on a broomstick with his back turned to the unnoticed couple.

"So is almost knocking my brother's head off!" replied a red headed witch who circled down below, "No matter how big it sometimes may be." The wizard looked above his head quizzically to watch his companion reach his altitude before glancing behind him to espy the new arrivals for the first time.

"Sorry Percy!" Harry said with a wince as he and Ginny landed beside them, "Ron really over threw and I was in a bit of a rush." He held the makeshift Quidditch ball out for them to see in a point to express his situation.

"I did not over throw! You just moved to the side after I had already released." A third voice called out from the sky, landing softly to join the party. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Then explain how it landed all the way over here in the pathway by Percy and…" his sister trailed off as her brown eyes focused on the unknown witch at Percy's side. In the midst of the group's normal and casual row, the three hadn't registered there being someone new. A scramble from the tree line as a bushy haired fourth appeared, looking for her friends on ground level gave a moment of distraction, but as Hermione quickly joined the group's eyes returned to Percy's addition.

"Oh, right." Percy said, slightly fuddled. "Audrey, this is my little brother and sister, Ron and Ginny, and Ron's girlfriend Hermione Granger and Ginny's boyfriend Harry Potter."

"I'm a big fan of your work." Audrey grinned, shaking Harry's hand first as it was the nearest. Harry let out a surprised laugh and grinned in returned. Audrey went around the others, shaking hands and smiling merrily with the rest. After the pleasantries were finished, the four looked at Percy and Audrey with confused but sly looks, catching one another's eyes with the same flash of thought before Ginny stepped forward to speak.

"And who are you exactly?" she asked with a curiously cocked head and broad smile, voice slightly higher than usual.

"I'm Audrey Larrabee." She replied unnerved by the light hearted weirdness of those in front of her, in spite of the glowing patches that formed on her boss's neck beside her. "I'm Percy's assistant and your dad invited me to come…"

With a shock to everyone another young redheaded wizard popped suddenly in the middle of the group. He quickly tossed his broomstick out of his hands before grabbing Audrey around the waist and hoisting her up over his shoulder, revealing a clean cut hole where an ear would normal sit as the body pushed away the hair. Then, as speedy as his former movements, he ran out in to the field, laughing madly as he carried away his shrieking captive.

"GEORGE!" Audrey yelled with a laugh, "Let me down!'

"Not until you say the magic words!" he cried, glee stricken across his face.

"NO! George, I am a grown up and I refuse to play this game with you!" she said with mock frustration, pounding his back with clutched fists. The rest of the group quickly surrounded the scene, at a loss for what was happening but excited none the less. Percy followed behind slowly, an unidentifiable feeling of envy hatching in his stomach.

"Well Larrabee," George continued, unabashed at her feeble attempt to beat him in to letting her go, "say it or we'll all just be standing out here all night." Audrey finally relaxed from her tense state, draping herself over like a rag doll. She began to mutter something incoherently. George shook her lightly, smiling even wider than before.

"Louder, those in the back can't hear you!" he exclaimed. Audrey let out a rolling groan before repeating what she had began.

"Measured beyond wit States a Ravenclaw's a git And t'would be her greatest treasure To pull out the Gryffindor sword of pleasure!" she recited, every word dripping with embarrassed resent. Everyone burst out laughing, including Audrey, and George let her down, immersing her in a quick hug before letting her pull away.

"I can't believe you made me say that!" she laughed, pushing George roughly on the shoulder before straitening herself out. "You made me do that on the train at the start of every term for nearly seven years."

"Hey, I'm not one to break tradition." He grinned, spreading his arms to his sides. "I couldn't believe it when I heard you were coming for dinner, I haven't seen or heard anything about you since I left Hogwarts, it was like you fell off the map!"

"Oh yeah," she said brightly, pushing him away once more, "I never got to thank you for leaving me midway through our Charms project after your legendary break away. I had a week to finish up the work of three people!"

"You always knew that that was a possibility going into a group project with Fred and me though, so really it is your own fault." George replied, his lazy grin filling his face as he ushered Audrey up the hill towards the house. Percy held back momentarily as the others followed suit, an unnerving sense of jealousy filtering into his stomach. He hadn't thought about George and Audrey knowing each other before, but as the two chatted merrily together, he felt it was painfully stupid to not have. They were in the same year, which meant tons of classes together. The twins were quite popular in school and Audrey's charm and sense of humor would have blended well with their high energy. Of course they liked each other, and now, as usual, Percy would fade in the background as the least interesting Weasley in a large family full of dragon chasers, curse breakers and joke makers.

"Wow, I haven't heard George laugh that loud in awhile." Ginny's offhanded comment to Harry, who climbed only a few feet in front of Percy, carried back. He felt like kicking himself. George was animated talking to Audrey, laughing, joking, teasing the way he always did. Or used to always. He had lost his twin, his energy source, his other half and there was no coming out of that. Though he joined and accepted his family's support in the loss, George had disconnected. He began to bury himself in his shop in a way Percy immediately related to but feared seeing in his little brother. The family had all tried to rally around the fifth Weasley son to support him, love him, and prove to him he was not alone. For his part, George put up a face, especially around his mother, and tried to maintain the carefree jokester image expected of him. However it was painfully obvious that George was perpetually cursed as nearly every time he said or heard a joke he turned to his side to share in the amusement of a ghost that wasn't there.

This haunting seemed only to be softened around a few people. Lee Jordan, always equipped with a laugh, had convinced George to move out of the flat above the store into a small town house with him. He would drag him away from the shop as often as he could to get him out of his office and out in the world, even if it was just to the Leaky Cauldron to listen to the Cannons play on the Wireless over a firewiskey. There they would often be joined by Angelina Johnson who was living in Diagon Alley as she studied to be a Healer. The two of them would joke and tease as they had always done, centering around George without forcing him to participate. At these times George didn't feel the pressure of standing tall for his family's sake, and for a few moments a week he felt a return of normalcy for the mere fact that they didn't treat him any differently than they would had Fred been at his side. His family, though an endless supply of love and support, would always remind him that the Weasley's were no longer complete. When with close friends, he was not the remaining half of a set, but just George.

As they neared the house Percy realized that Audrey brought out that side of his brother that his family couldn't replicate. She pushed and teased and allowed the harassment the same as she had for nearly a decade. The unknown source of resentment he felt for the pair's companionship melted away into a huge wave of gratitude and a fulfilling sense that he had found another easement to George's pain. Of course, it also didn't hurt that before the group had broken through the thicket, she had stopped and waited for him to catch up to her and her reacquainted friend.

"Come on slow poke!" she teased, simultaneously linking arms with he and George, "I do believe there is more family to show me off to." Percy grinned and together the three made their way across the boot scattered lawn and into the Burrow.

"Nice hair cut Perce." George commented as he held the front door open, "You look less like a prat than I've ever seen you." Audrey shot Percy an 'I told you so' smile before slipping inside. Percy caught his brother's eye with a bashful grin, running his fingers through the new spring of curls before joining his family in the kitchen. Perhaps this wouldn't be as big of an ordeal as he first suspected.

His younger siblings and their significant others were packed into the shabby kitchen. Ginny sat on the counter near the stove, serving the dual purpose of watching the boiling potatoes and allowing there to be more standing area in the tiny room now jam packed with seven people. Percy weaved his way over and leaned against the kitchen island, lowering his head so they didn't brush against the pans hanging from the ceiling. Audrey made her way next to him, practically squished between him and the island due to the maximum capacity. Even with the strong and beloved aroma of his mother's home cooking he could still decipherer her signature scent. Audrey tilted her head upwards to give him another warm smile and shifted back ever so slightly so her back was mere millimeters from his chest, her body heat radiating against his.

Bustling movement from the other side of the kitchen stole their attention as Ron was attempting to juggle three of the unpeeled potatoes that lay in a large bowl. After making one successful rotation, the vegetables fell from his grasp and roll over to their feet. The group let out a few jeers as Audrey crouched down to scoop them up.

"I used to be able to do it better." Ron explained sheepishly.

"No, I think this scenario pretty much summed up your extended skill." Ginny grinned as she stirred the simmering pot with a large spoon. "Percy was the one who could juggle."

"You juggle?" Audrey laughed in surprise, twisting her body around to face him.

"I did," he admitted a bit bashfully, "you know, to help with hand eye coordination."

"Yeah, and then he tried to get the rest of us to do it too." Ron added, "It was a really obnoxious summer."

"I was just trying to be helpful." Percy shot back, "Maybe if you had let me help you develop such skills wouldn't have dropped the Quaffle quite so often." He had said it merely to stress his defended point, and was therefore surprised when the whole room ascended into laughter. Even Ron, whose ears had deeply reddened, began to join in as hysterics ensued.

"Ah the Percy burn!" George chortled through laughs, "the rarest of scathes in the Weasley home."

"I want to see this impressive skill of yours." Audrey said, once again turning to look at him. Her eyes shone and her smile was wide. Percy grinned back and nodded in agreement.

"Only if I get the proper help from my lovely assistant." Audrey's face contorted into a look of puzzlement that was answered, not by Percy, but from an amused laugh across the room. Ginny slid down from the counter top, motioned for Harry and Hermione to clear the area as best they could, and set the bowl of potatoes aside her.

"You still up for this?" Percy asked his sister as he moved over to the cleared length of space.

"If I could do this when I was five I'm sure I can do it now." She replied with a grin. She than began to toss the vegetables across the room, first just three, and then as he built up momentum adding more and more until he was spinning the remaining eight potatoes with ease. She then grabbed a medium sized tomato, and after catching her brother's eye, tossed it into the mix. With the nine objects now passing skillfully through each hand, he focused his attention on the newest addition. With a quick flick of the wrist he tossed the tomato back to his sister without disrupting the others' paths. He then systematically threw back the vegetables, say for three which he stopped himself, catching them with a bit of cockiness behind his back.

"That was brilliant!" Audrey exclaimed, applauding with the rest.

"Well there you go. I can't play Quidditch worth a damn but I can do that." Percy stated, slightly embarrassed.

"Hey, it kept me entertained as a kid." Ginny said, bringing the bowl over for Percy to place the rest of the potatoes back and turned to face Audrey. "When I was little my brothers wouldn't let me play Quidditch with them."

"She used to get so mad." Percy laughed as he thought back, "she came to me, not even five years old, asking me to teach her how to hex them."

"Instead he let me help him with his tricks so I wasn't completely left out." She explained with a hint of fondness at the memory.

"Which I maintain helped her home in on her Quidditch skills more than breaking her neck on some broom stick." Percy added with a joking sternness. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I would have agreed with you but it would make your big head too satisfied." She said as she graced back across the kitchen to take the boiled food off the stove.

"Enough of the family love, Perce, get to the good stuff." George said slyly, pulling out the basket of chicken eggs from the cooler. Before Percy could protest, his brother quickly tossed the fragile orbs into his direction, leaving him no choice but to rotate them. As he got a good hold and noticed Audrey eyeing the eggs in amusement, he mixed his style up a bit, throwing them straight into the air instead of a circular motion.

"I guess eggs are easier to maneuver than potatoes, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, well the problem with eggs isn't throwing them, it's the stopping that's…"

"Percival Weasley!" an all too familiar stern tone inflected across the kitchen. Percy winced, panicked, and scrambled to immediately stop his tricks as his mother stood fiercely in the doorway. He was able to catch most of them but the last slipped out of his grasp, and only narrowly avoided having it splat onto his boot by having Audrey catch it mid fall.

"What have I told you about playing with my eggs?" Mrs. Weasley chastised, taking them out of his hands and laying them gently in the basket.

"Yeah Percy, you know better than that, these are for breakfast in the morning." George added haughtily, taking the basket from his mother.

"I don't need your help George dear," his mother said softly, reverting to her traditional stance to never let one of her children leer upon another when receiving any form of punishment.

"Sorry Mum, I didn't mean to _egg_ him on." George flashed a grin before taking the basket back to the cooler. Molly let out a laugh slip out, softening her saber-tooth demeanor into her usual motherly smile. Without any further delay she threw her arms around Percy's neck, pulling him down for a warm hug. The son wrapped around his mother with a bright smile and stayed stooped awaiting his usual smooch on the cheek. After the scenario played through, Percy stood back and indulged his mother on her normal per visit surveillance. As expected, she shook her head and tisked.

"You are far too pale and thin, where did you learn such habits?" she asked warmly, patting his cheek.

"I have been trying to eat more." Percy defended lightly, even though he knew of the futility of arguing against his mother's judgments.

"I make sure of that." Audrey interjected, straitening up from her leaned stance against the island. "I don't know how he does it but I refuse to skip a meal. It makes me grumpy." Molly turned to face her son's assistant and beamed.

"You must be Audrey! Arthur has told me all about you and all the help you give our son." She stepped forward to give her a hug to which Audrey immediately reciprocated.

"He's really quite fun to work for," Audrey admitted as they pulled away from one another, "especially after we found a good work groove." Molly's smile expanded at this statement and she patted Audrey's cheek affectionately as well.

"Wonderful! And so lovely a girl." She stated offhandedly before shooing them and the rest of the group out of the kitchen so she could finish tending to supper. Percy sensed an underlying tone to his mother's comment that made him shift uncomfortably, but as Audrey seemed unphased he let it drop, and allowed her to tug anxiously on his arm as she asked to see the rest of the house.

The two got as far as the living room where she stood admiring the family clock with all eight fixtures pointed to 'home' before a soft cry begged their attention. Descending from the staircase came another towering red headed figure, his long hair pulled back into a pony tail. As he walked quickly down to the bottom floor he hunched over, cooing into his arms at the bundle he held, rocking the fussing baby slightly.

"Hey Bill." Percy greeted happily as his oldest brother joined his side, and peered down affectionately at the blonde haired infant cradled in his arms. "What's wrong Victoire?"

"She's been a bit green today."Bill explained softly, smiling in greeting over to Audrey who cheerfully waved. "We figured it was just a bit of a sour stomach and thought she had calmed down before we brought her over. Then she decided to surprise Mummy with a little gift on her new blouse." Bill chuckled as he shifted Victoire into an upright position. The little girl instinctively grabbed on to her father's hair with one tiny hand and she sucked on the thumb of the other, surveying the scene with her brilliant blue eyes.

"Awe, has my favorite niece been sick?" Percy asked her in a high happy voice, tickling her stomach softly. Victoire dropped her thumb and giggled madly, pushing herself forward gleefully towards her uncle. Bill happily relinquished his daughter into his brother's arms and watched as Percy bounced her up and rubbed her nose with his in an Eskimo kiss.

"You must be faking little one. You look perfect as always." He exclaimed, letting her settle into the nook of his arm comfortably.

"Bill! It is of no use cleaning zis off. Bring me ze back up blouse in ze bag!" a far away voice from up the stairs cried.

"Oh I assure you she was plenty sick, she just seemed to get the last of it out." Bill laughed after assuring his wife he was on his way. He grabbed the lavender diaper bag from the couch and excused himself as he bounded up the stairs. Percy helped Victoire wave goodbye, promising to take care of her until one or both of her parents came back down before once again bouncing her in the air to her delight.

"Gee whiz, you're great with her." Audrey admired, "You know, I never pegged you as a baby person."

"Oh I assure you its only specific babies." He said seriously as he dangled his niece above his head. "I think it helps if they're girls too. I remember thinking how obnoxious the twins and Ron were when they were little, but I was obsessed with Ginny when she was born. I used to carry her around all the time, play with her, I even taught her how to read some of my old books before she was four." He boasted proudly, pulling Victoire back into the nook of his arm. The young Weasley, now tired out from her giggle fit, focused keenly on her uncle's face.

"And this one," he continued fondly, holding his head close and still as her hand reached forward to grasp on to his glasses, "well, how can you resist such a face?" He squinted as she successfully pulled off his eyewear, watching her carefully as she studied her new object, and only pried them away when it became evident that the exploratory senses were shifting from sight and touch over to taste.

"Not in the mouth Sweet Pea." He laughed, placing his glasses back on his face and hoisting her to rest easier on his side. After assuring she felt secure and content despite having a toy taken away, he returned to focus his attention to Audrey. She was smiling widely with a positive, unbelieving look of impression on her face. Feeling self conscious, he cleared his throat and hardened his face in a need to maintain some aspect of masculinity.

"But asides from them, I find most children annoying and tiresome."

"Yeah, okay." Audrey laughed sarcastically as she lightly tickled Victoire's nose, "Until another one of your brother's has a kid, or heaven forbid you have a few of your own. I picture you and some poor woman with a brood of six or seven rowdy boys tearing apart your house."

"You bite your tongue!" he demanded, pulling his niece away from her nonsense. The quick movement caused her to hiccup and Percy dropped his offended demeanor to check her thoroughly for any other sign of ailment. After she remained fine, he felt his jig was up and decided to concede to Audrey's observation.

"I suppose kids aren't that bad," he said, petting the soft locks of blonde hair, "but defiantly not seven. One, maybe two of my own some day, preferably girls if I have any say in it."

"Well, if you believe in modern science you have full say in it." She laughed. Percy rolled his eyes, grinning in spite of himself as he continued to play with his niece. A few moments later Bill once again ran down the stairs, jumping the last two and landing hard by Audrey's side.

"Whoa, that was a bit close." He mused apologetically. "Sorry about that, it's a thirty year old habit I've yet to break." He motioned to the two skipped steps quickly before turning to collect his daughter. "I think she's going to be a while, but I know Dad and Charlie need help setting up outside."

Percy nodded, and with a small goodbye to Victoire he escorted Audrey back through the kitchen and into the garden. As usual, his backyard was in a sort of disarray. The grass was long and the weeds were winning, and he could hear the soft splashes and throaty croaks of the frogs in their green pond. He remembered the noises they made creeping through his windows as a child, keeping him up through the night. Even when his father sealed his window with a silencing charm, Percy swore he still heard their calls and continued to be bothered by them. Perhaps, he pondered, looking in the pond's direction with an old distain, that was the root to his years old sleeping problem that had carried through with him into school and beyond.

"Damn frogs." He muttered irritably. In contrast to his annoyed stupor, Audrey looked around the yard with wide eyed wonder, an excited smile etched upon her face. She wondered over to the edge of the house, whose side was covered in brush and vines, and delicately thumbed one of the small red flowers that remained from spring.

"I love gardens." She sighed. Percy gave her a bemused look as he once again scanned the chaotic and untamed plant masses that littered the back lot.

"I would hardly call this much of a garden. This all just sort of happens."

"Well that makes it all the better then." She sniffed indignantly, returning to the sweet Morning Glories. "I never had a yard like this. I grew up in a really small flat when I was little, and even when we did finally afford a house the back was to rocky to grow anything." Percy's continence fell from that of light loftiness to a soft pity. He had always seen the garden and orchard as a wreck, yet here she was, envying his experience. And there again was that slight tone of sadness held in her voice when she off handedly commented on what he assumed was a sensitive subject. He watched her stare forward, more looking past the vines then at them, and he got the sense she was far away in a place she didn't want to be.

"I suppose you're right." He said, slightly louder than usual, as he reached his arm out in front of her to pick off one of the larger bloomed germinations. "If anything is to be growing unchecked against the house I'm glad it's nothing more serious then flowers. Though I think some variation of hue might brighten up the place more." After thwarting a slight delay, he allowed himself to act upon a burst of confidence, and Percy brushed a wayward curl away from Audrey's face before tucking the flower behind her ear. She looked taken aback by his brash action, but pleasantly so, and smiled at him sans the contemplative and far off look she wore earlier.

"Nonsense. These flowers liven up the place just fine." She replied defiantly, "and besides, red is my favorite color." She blushed slightly after this last confession. Percy was just beginning to enjoy reaching a favorable motive behind her flush and statement before yet again their private interaction was interrupted by a sneak attack. Percy felt a strong thick arm wrap around his lean neck and force his head against a shorter body. Soon after, his scalp burnt as calloused knuckles rubbed quickly against it.

"Erg, Charlie! Gerroff me!" Percy gritted, trying to push his older brother away. As usual, Charlie let him go immediately, but not without his barking laugh and a loving squeeze. Percy was granted just enough time to straighten up and fix his glasses before once again he found himself at the mercy of his brother's powerful embrace. Percy hugged him back warmly, grateful as always to see his brother from abroad.

It's known around Wizarding Britain how easy it is to spot a Weasley. All the siblings carried the similar signature features and were perfect blends of their parents. He and Charlie however were always at the different ends of that spectrum. While as Percy looked the most like his father; tall and boney, long faced with glasses and quite pale, Charlie was like their mother; short in stature, round faced, would be plump if it weren't for his constant movement, and a never ceasing summer tan. Their personalities too were very different, as Charlie tended to be much warmer and laid back then Percy ever cared to be. All that aside however, the two had always been quite amiable to one another, and even at his pentacle of his pickiness, Percy never had a bad word to say about him.

"Nice to see you too, Little P." Charlie laughed, patting his brother's back as he ended the hug. Percy had to roll his eyes at this outdated childhood nickname. Indeed at 5'6 Charlie was a good foot shorter than Percy and had been since the younger of the two hit a major growth spurt at twelve. Percy motioned Audrey over for yet another introduction. Just like she had with his mother, she accepted Charlie's friendly hug without hesitation.

"Where's Dad?" Percy inquired, mentally running through his family check list to ensure there was no one else left to meet.

"By the tables. Ron and George were supposed to help set up but they mysteriously disappeared when the time came." Charlie answered good naturedly.

"Of course." Percy shook his head and the three of them walked into the proper back yard. His mother and sister were bringing out the first dishes on the table being set by his father. He could see his younger brothers and their friends wonder in from the paddock, darting straight for their seats. Bill and Flur were already seated with Victoire, the mother wearing a slightly frazzled look as she played affectionately with her daughter, but looked stunning none the less. By the time they made it to the table they were the last to be seated, and Charlie took the seat next to Bill while Percy and Audrey sat at the other end next to George. The table was already abuzz with lively conversation and by the time his mother finished passing out her dishes, Percy counted a full five different topics being discussed. He listened as intently as he could as his family talked across the table to one another, choosing to refrain from joining in en lieu of devouring his mother's cooking. She was right, of course, he had been skipping on his meals. He knew he shouldn't but he got so caught up in his work and was so single minded about these things he often suppressed the normal signs of hunger and continued right through them. Between Audrey and his father he was guaranteed took lunch at the Ministry but when left to his own devices he ate very spartanly. But when ever confronted with his mother's cooking all his one track thinking drove him to instant hunger. He missed this type of food during his long absence, and the thought of it was almost enough to end his blockade on hungry nights. Of course, that wasn't quite the whole case, he admitted to himself as he swirled his vegetables around, as he had always been quite proficient in making a potato.

Determined to shake his haunting thoughts away, he focused hard upon his family. He followed along as the overall topics of conversation drifted from Charlie's latest burn, Victoire's first attempt at standing, Ginny bemoaning the attitudes of her fellow Harpies and the state of the joke shop. Audrey sat next to him in the same enjoying silence, observing the family and delighting in a home cooked meal. His mother, noting the quiet corner of the table gracefully switched the conversation from the store's newest innovation to inclusion of the new guest.

"So Audrey, you and George were in the same year I hear!" Audrey smiled, slightly startled at the change in conversation and placed her hand over her mouth as she swallowed her mouthful of greens.

"Yeah, I had classes with Gryffindor a lot, mostly Charms and Transfiguration and I normally sat with them."

"Actually you sat with Fred, Lee and me from day one." George grinned, "The other Ravenclaw girls weren't too keen on sitting around you that first week or so."

"They had no sense of humor!" she bemoaned in her defense. "Every joke I said to break the ice went right over their heads. By that first night I had gone through a good half of my material and apparently secured my status of a complete mental case. They wouldn't even let me sit near them at breakfast."

"So on the first day of class she comes up to Fred, Lee and I on our first Charms lesson and without even introducing herself she says 'What's the difference between a Dementor and a nagging wife?' We all kind of look around at each other, not really expecting such a joke to come out of this pipsqueak little Ravenclaw girl, but then she answers 'At least a Dementor gives you a kiss before ripping out your soul.'" A wave of laughter rippled across the table, signaling both the enjoyment of the joke and the fact that everyone was now listening in to the conversation. Mr. Weasley, who barked the loudest at this one-liner, quickly bowed his head to escape his wife's dirty look, while Audrey flushed slightly.

"It was what my dad would always say to my mum when she was riding him about something. Apparently the girls in my dorm didn't appreciate that type of humor, but come to think of it, neither did Mum."

"We thought it was hilarious." George stated, throwing his arm around her shoulder in comradery. "And that was the start of a beautiful tradition of trying to simultaneously out joke each other in class and practicing pranks on the other Ravenclaw girls when they were getting too uppity."

"I remember you slipping one of your first Puking Pastilles prototypes into Monica Primpernelle's Valentine's Day goodie pile." Audrey reminisced.

"Oh yeah! That was before we made the antidote to get you to stop. I heard she kept it up for hours before Madam Pomfrey was able to help her!" George said gleefully.

"George Weasley!" his mother called to him with a stern and reprimanding look, as though she were preparing to punish him for an act that was over five years passed.

"What? She was fine afterwards." George defended.

"Yeah, plus she was finally able to fit into those extra-small dress robes she had bought so it ended up being a win-win situation." Audrey added. This lead to another round of hearty laughs around the table and left her beaming.

"You remember that bet we started in Fourth Year in Transfiguration on who could get McGonagall to laugh?" George grinned, egging on the reunion further.

"Of course I do! I won it!" She squealed happily. "It only took three terms to do, and I probably received half of my detentions in all my schooling in that year and a half, but it was totally worth it when she laughed at my impression of Umbridge interrogating Snape."

"Not to mention the three weekends of detention you got after jumping up on the table and celebrating your victory in dance." George added.

"I was just really surprised I won! I figured the odds were highly stacked against me. Lee kept telling me of this elaborate prank he planned to pull, I was sure he would get it before I did." She admitted.

"Nah, he was probably saying that just to impress you. He fancied you through most of school, but I think this was the time you and Roger became such a sweet and loving item." He grinned cheekily at this statement, knowing fully of the outburst that would follow.

"Yeah, sweet and loving," She scoffed, snorting into her potatoes. "Until he decided to drop me out of the blue Sixth Year right before the Yule Ball because he got a date from that over hyped Veela girl from the tournament, what was her name…" Audrey stopped pondering as she watched Percy inhale and sputter as he choked on his pudding. The table grew dead silent as the side conversations skidded to an immediate halt. George held an uncharacteristic look of remorse, as though his hadn't thought his agitating comment all the way through. Audrey's eyes shifted around quizzically, unsure of why the light atmosphere suddenly turned so dark. Across the table Victoire began to fuss lightly, and Bill quickly took the baby out of her stroller into his lap, a tucked in grin contained upon his face. That one bit of sound drew Audrey's attention over to that end, and slowly her line of vision focused first on the child, than the father, and lastly the mother. There her gaze stayed. Fleur sat straight and ridged, expression un moving. Audrey on the other hand, seemed to express a plethora of emotions almost concurrently. She ranged from confusion, to dawning, to full realization, to panic, and settled in the embarrassed silent filled tension that plagued the rest of the table. All eyes were plainly glued to Fleur, known for her unyielding and somewhat aggressive behavior, and as she slowly began to fidget about, the table held a collective breath. But when she finally spoke, however, it was not in her usual flared passion one came to expect when Fleur or something she loved was personally under attack. Instead, her words were premised by a slight hesitation and rough muster, and her dynamics were quiet and unsure.

"I-I was not aware zat Roger 'ad a girlfriend when he asked me. I assure you zat I would not have agreed to it 'ad I known." Fleur looked straight ahead at Audrey while she talked, though her face was slightly bowed and she absent-mindedly pushed the last of her food around her plate with her fork. Audrey broke out into a large smile at this admission, and with her hands tucked into her lap, she leaned far across the table.

"That's not really surprising. Roger often tended to forget about me when he wished, especially around the end of the term tests. He was a very needy boy who required one's full attention; it was my fault really for daring to cut my time with him to study in the library." Fleur tilted her head, mesmerized by this, and her eyes grew wide as she spoke, this time with her normal zealousness.

"I know! He did ze same to me half way through the spring holidays! Like I didn't just have my sister pulled out of ze bottom of lake or had a daunting maze to worry about getting through. If I wasn't there to oogle over his new Quidditch robes I wasn't being…"

"A supportive girlfriend?" Audrey finished with a grin. Fleur's eyes widened as the new comer took the words right out of her mouth. The two held each other's gaze and began to laugh.

"Wow, this guy seems like a right prat." Charlie said off handedly, polishing off the last of his mead. "How is it that you both ended up going out with him?" Audrey and Fleur's faces both fell and they rounded on the defense.

"He was very handsome."

"And tall."

"A magnificent Quidditch player."

"With a charming voice…when he used it." Fleur and Audrey both ascended into a fit of giggles at this last admittance, building upon one another's outbursts until they were both nearly doubled over with laughter. It was only with one of Mrs. Weasley's reprimands that they finally sat up straight, but they still obviously struggled to contain their grins.

"Uh huh, I think we can wrap up the Roger Davis replay for the night." Bill said with a hint of annoyance Percy shared. Bill placed Victoire into his wife's lap in an attempt to bring her back into reality. She smiled down and kissed her baby's head, brushing through her curls affectionately before again looking back to Audrey's direction.

"Did he ever try taking you to zat awful tea shop?"

"Ekk, Madam Puddifoot's? I should have known there was something up with him when he thought that was the place to take a girl to put her in a mood."

"Alright, I'm going to help Mum clear the dishes off the table…"Bill said loudly, grabbing both his and Fleur's plates with a drastic movement before turning to the kitchen. Fleur flicked her hand in a "he'll be fine" sort of gesture and motioned for Audrey to take his vacated seat. Percy watched with a mixture of impression at how quickly the two bonded and disgust over the cause, and he decided to follow his brother's suit and clear the table in front of him. After he reappeared from the kitchen back into the yard his family had dispersed across the lot. Closest to him on the back porch area were Ron and Harry who were eagerly talking to Charlie about the Cannon's standing and the chances they would pull through in the coming play offs. Bill and his father were sneaking back to shed, undoubtedly to talk over and inspect whatever new Muggle device he had smuggled home while his wife was preoccupied with the post dinner clean up. Not quite in the mood to talk sports or be startled when his mother inevitably found out whatever the mischief in the back was, Percy was content to sip on the butterbeer he wrangled from the cooler, enjoying the cool and sweet taste on the warm summer night, and watch the group of girls talk from across the lot. Fleur, Ginny and Hermione all stood around Audrey as she told some elaborate story, equipped with the occasional exaggerated body movement. The anecdote seemed to keep them quite entertained, and by the time she finished it the three listeners were red in the face from laughter. He smiled warmly as he watched the scene, knowing full well the heights of amusement one of her rants or retellings could be. Ginny was suddenly called over by Ron and Harry to settle some dispute on statistics they were having, and she and Hermione reluctantly joined them on the porch. Left alone, Percy assumed his assistant and sister-in-law would continue reminiscing about their shared romantic venture. Instead, the two seemed to have moved on to other topics, talking vivaciously and quickly the way girls tended to do when among one another. He supposed the topic had switched over to Victoire as Audrey soon crouched over Fleur's bundle, talking sweetly. Fleur held her out for Audrey to take, which she did carefully but skillfully, bouncing the blonde to the child's delight while continuing her conversation with her new friend. A twisted and over puckered look appeared on Fleur, one which Percy read as an over exaggerated mock kissing face. Audrey's barked laugh carried across the yard as she nodded in agreement.

"What an odd thing to bond over." Percy muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Weirder things have happened." A voice answered. Percy turned to his right to find that George had joined him, nursing his own bottle of butterbeer as he too gazed across the lawn.

"I know," Percy answered with a bit of a laugh, "but I'm pretty sure Audrey is just an all round mental case."

"Oh granted." George said without hesitation. However, he then gave Percy a knowing sideways glance. "But she's also really cool. Understanding, witty, really smart, pretty, adorable, thoughtful, well read…"

"Uh huh," Percy interrupted with an edge of trepidation, "And your point, assuming you have one, is?"

"My point is she's the kind of girl a bloke might want to think about keeping around. Especially a bloke whom she really seems to like, despite his occasional pigheadedness and overwhelming family." George accentuated his statement by taking a long swig from his bottle.

"I'm sure her boyfriend is quite aware of all those amiable qualities you just listed." Percy replied flatly, looking straightly ahead.

"You'd be surprised." George snorted, pausing as he watched Audrey bend over to get a closer look at Fleur's boots, inspecting them in admiration. "Never let the technicality that a girl may be dating someone else stop you from the ones you really like. It's simply a pesky road block that needs to be overcome."

"Oh yeah?" Percy asked amusedly, "And which road blocks are stopping you from Angelina? From what I hear she's not even seeing anyone."

"All right then, why don't we both just drop this topic and move on to something else?" George asked loudly.

"Agreed." Percy replied firmly. The two brothers stood on the slope of the backyard hill, watching their family interact below in silence. Charlie, Ron, Harry and Ginny all started off towards the orchard to play another round of two on two Quidditch before the sun completely set. Hermione tagged along good naturedly as she struggled with her bulky bag, which Percy was quite certain had been filled with books with the prior knowledge that this trip to the Burrow would have considerable time spent watching others fly. Ron held back once he realized she was no longer walking next to him and slung the bag on his back. With his broomstick free hand he grabbed Hermione's, who gratefully accepted his gesture and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. The scene left Percy impressed, and he wondered where his youngest brother finally learned a bit of tact.

As soon as the group left the yard, Bill and Mr. Weasley returned from their successfully unnoticed venture to the back shed. As they walked towards the two women still caught up in vivid conversation, George and Percy heard their father telling Bill a bit about something called a "Pea Sea" and how he hoped to get some "Enter Nets" for it, which to his delighted understanding required no short amount of cords and plugs. Upon seeing her husband's return, Fleur diplomatically drew close and gingerly touched his shoulder as she flipped her hair. Bill laughed at whatever it was she said and secured his arm around her waist as he pulled her in for a kiss. Fleur motioned over to Audrey, holding the fading Victoire, and pointed to her watch. Bill shook his head and Audrey returned the child to her mother's arms. Percy and George began to walk down the hill to say a quick goodbye. The brother's all shook hands warmly before Bill wondered off to the paddock to say fair well to Charlie. Fleur hugged Audrey affectionately before placing a friendly goodbye kiss on her brothers-in-laws cheeks and allowing Mr. Weasley to escort her inside. The three left behind waved as they returned to the house, than George excused himself to go find his broomstick and join the gang near the orchard. The two suddenly found themselves alone in the backyard, a soft warm night breeze blowing in a lazy swarm of fire flies. They watched in a comfortable silence for a few moments as the yellow orbs floated above the pond, teasing the frogs below who hoped to get a taste.

"So," Percy began, handing her his half finished butterbeer to offer the rest, "how did you like my family?"

"I loved them!" she exclaimed, accepting his beverage and taking a cool sip. "This was an excellent evening with great food and even better company."

"I thought I was going to choke to death after that thing with Fleur." Percy admitted with a grin.

"Oh, I know!" Audrey replied, putting her hands up against her face. "But it turned out alright in the end. We had the best conversation after, and I think she is absolutely fabulous."

"Still, I think none of us ever expected an insult hurled at her would go unscathed." Audrey shrugged.

"I tried apologizing for it, but she said there was no need. She said had the situation been reversed she would have called me much worse."

"Now that I can believe." Percy chuckled as they started walking towards the house. He glanced at his watch, surprised at how late it was, and allowed thoughts of work to enter his mind for the first time that night.

"Wow, it's getting late." He mused as they entered the deserted kitchen. "Perhaps we should head back and finish up."

"Oh no," she said teasingly, "You never finished showing me around, and I am not visiting your house without seeing your room."

She flashed him a smile and quickly walked out of the kitchen and into the living room towards the staircase.

"My what?" Percy called out in surprise. He rushed to follow her, but by the time he reached the stairs she was already on the second landing, hand perched on the door knob.

"I'm picking up strong Percy readings from this one." She said mystically, and pushed open the door and stepped inside. Sighing, Percy jogged up the stairs and followed her in. The small room was much the same as it had been for the last ten years or so. A twin sized bed, scrubbed wooded desk, a small bedside table and a rickety bookcase were the only furnishing inside. The case was completely full with old school books and ones he had collected through childhood, as were the two shelves above his desk and the sill below his small window overlooking the garden. As Audrey stretched out on his old bed, Percy took the small hard chair that was tucked into his desk. As he sat he rubbed his hand across the flat surface, feeling the indentions of forgotten letters that had accumulated over years of furiously scribbled letters and essays. The wall in front of the desk was neatly plastered with his school achievements throughout the years; his acceptance letter, top marks, his Prefect announcement, his 12 O.W.L.s, Head Boy certificate and his N.E.W.T grades. In the lowest corner, half sunk below the desk was the only thing remotely close to a picture he had on his walls. It was a cropping from the Daily Profit nearly seven years old, showing his family and he in Egypt visiting Bill oh so many years ago. Though his picture self waved merrily, its face held a look of abhorrence as Fred and Ron elbowed for space in front of him. He thought himself to look extremely stuck up.

"I used to have a poster like this above my bed when I was a kid." Audrey said fondly. Percy turned back to see Audrey with her arms tucked behind her head, looking up at the astronomy chart he had sealed against the ceiling.

"It seems to be the place of preference for most, yes." He said a bit sadly, his eyes flickering up to watch a star shoot across the poster's width before vanishing upon the boarders. He sighed heavily, collapsing into his chair.

"What's wrong?" Audrey asked, picking herself up from her relaxed position to sit up right at the edge of the bed.

"Nothing, nothing." Percy replied in a far way tone, scratching the back of his head and neck. Audrey raised her eyebrows in a disbelieving manner and kept her gaze on him, waiting for him to continue. "It's nothing really," he began, "it's just… sometimes… I don't know, I always have mixed feelings when I come back to visit." Audrey said nothing, but continued to listen to him intently.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my family and really enjoy being around them." He said quickly, "but coming back here always reminds me I left. That I left and put my family through so much grief and that… that I wasn't the son who deserved to come home."

"Don't." she said sternly, eyes fierce. "You can't think like that. I know it's really easy to and that's the way your mind wants to wonder, but it's useless and self-pitying."

"I know, but you can't fathom how big of an ass I was. Anything you probably heard from Fred and George at school can't even begin to cover what I did. You don't understand what it feels like to know that your selfishness cost everyone else so much, and that the choices you made may have lead to…to… suffering that may not have happened otherwise if you had just either stayed put or stayed away."

Audrey grew ridged, her lips pressed thin as though she were bursting to say something to his accusation. Instead, she took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah, okay." She said softly, muttering something else under her breath that Percy, still in his own stupor, didn't decipher. Giving Percy a sidelong and empathetic look, she collected herself back together. Her sternness melted away into a kind smile, and she tucked her legs back underneath her and sat up right on the edge of the bed. She grabbed the bottom of his chin, focusing his attention to her softened face, and her warm eyes darted back and forth as she studied the down trodden expression he wore.

"In times like these my mother used to have an expression. She'd say "don't count your mistakes, count your blessings, and you'll find it will take longer". Yes you left your family to make your own decisions at a time when you thought you were right. But you, the very same Percy, came back when he knew he had to. You came back to a family who loves you, to a side that needed you, and now with all that gusto you once had focused on your own personal success, you strive to be a better son and brother, and try to help fix the world you so love back in to repair. The best way to make up for the past is to be progressive in the future, and you, Percy Weasley, have one loving and supportive family eager to help you on your way." Audrey spent her speech with a continued hold on Percy's face, ensuring he heard every word she said by forcing eye contact. When she finished she held on a bit longer, and her fingers expanding up his cheek softly before slowly pulling away.

Percy felt an indescribable mix of emotions flip and pull inside of him. His mind raced to catalogue them all, and never before did he ever feel so many things at once. There was of course the deep seated feeling of regret that surfaced whenever he stopped to think about those three years he spent absent of his family. The pain and anger that stabbed through when he thought of Fred's tragic death and the odd yearning he had to place all the blame on himself. He was embarrassed for the childish and intimate thoughts he had shared with her and felt sick to have her see him as something that needed to be pitied.

Yet other, more positive things swelled inside as well. His spine still tingled from the shiver it received when she caressed his face. The understanding and radiating compassion she felt towards him felt more than welcoming, and he felt there was no limit of his gratitude and amazement he had towards her. But the best and strangest thing he felt was hope. Hope in the words she said and the encouragement she gave. She had placed his complex situation out into a simple and practical equation, one that said he was pointed in the right direction. For the first time in what felt like ages, Percy began to realize he didn't have to be alone. That he wasn't alone. He was surrounded in fact by people in wanting to help him up and be held up by him, and all he had to do was break from his self proclaimed isolation. That thought alone was enough to make him dizzy.

Audrey began to fidget on his bed, drawing him away from his thoughts. To her, his moments of silent self discovery were a sign that her methods were ineffective. With his head and body racing, Percy stood up quickly and joined her on the bed, sitting so near that his added weight caused her to slide up against him as the mattress folded in. He stared at her intensely, so much so that she seemed taken aback by this rare showing of passion. Though startled, she did not move away from her close position, keeping eye contact as he searched his depths for what to say.

"Thank you." Though not the most detailed and eloquent thing he could have said, the deep and firm tone in his voice portrayed the depths of what he felt. Audrey's eyes began to water slightly and she blinked them hard, allowing two identical streams to fall around her face.

"No problem." She whispered hoarsely. This caused Percy to laugh, and laugh in away unthinkable to him mere moments ago when he sat in the darkest parts of his soul.

"Seriously," he stated when he calmed down enough to talk, "that was some perspective I really needed. I'm sure a dozen different people have tried to tell me the same thing a hundred different ways, but yours… well, you always seem to know exactly what to say to me when I need it."

"See what happens when you let someone in Percival?" She replied, through the last of her sniffles. Percy patted her leg affectionately and the two shared a smile. When he withdrew his hand from her knee, he watched the coy, teasing look return to her face, and her smile turned from its over emotional wrought to its classic Audrey pose. "Of course I had to scale walls and sneak my way in. Travel through mazes, battle trolls, trick a Boggart…."

"Okay, okay, I get the point. I can be a little difficult." Percy admitted, standing up from the bed and stretching out his long frame. "Let's just hope I really do have as much good inside me as you say, as I'd rather really like to keep that loving and supportive family you speak so highly of." His statement was answered by a loud wrapping on the small window. Percy and Audrey both jerked their heads to see Charlie, Ginny, Ron and George all squished around the pane, bobbing on their broomsticks, and making the most humorous and grotesque faces they could. Percy and Audrey both broke out laughing as Charlie called through the glass:

"Come on you crazy kids, I have to get going, and I certainly can't leave without proper goodbyes!" The two both nodded in lieu of shouting, and they turned away from the window to proceed down the stairs. Once on the landing and out of sight of the four red heads that remained gawking outside, Audrey put her hands on Percy's arms to stop him.

"I think you're covered on the whole "keeping the family bit"." She whispered. As was becoming usual, Percy quite agreed.

_(A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, as I had a lot of fun writing it. Just a heads up, I probably won't be updating until late May, early June. Finals are coming up so my attention will be stolen by my pesky college classes. But have no fear, the story will continue. Until then, you have this horrendously long chapter to tie you over."_


	9. Doubt's Shadow

Doubt's Shadow

(A/N: Thanks for all the finals well wishes! I believe I did well and as a treat I wrote this chapter quickly as was able to post sooner than expected. Enjoy!)

Smugness, Percy knew, was not the most attractive quality to possess. Indeed, this character flaw had been a persistent negative force in his life, causing him much unpopularity and grief, no matter how right he usually was. It was an inherent quality he had actively tried to repress over the past year or two, along with pompousness, stubbornness, pigheadedness and all other adjectives his siblings were so quick to list when describing his shortcomings. He pursed his lips at the thought, reminding himself that he had actually _asked _them to help him become more pleasant and to call out whenever the less desirable parts of his personality began to shine through. He should have known that they, especially the younger ones, would follow through on his request with an unmatched gusto of anything he had ever asked of them.

Never the less, Percy couldn't help the smirk filling his face as he and Smith sat in front of Weiss's desk in his rarely used office. Percy, and he assumed Smith as well, had received an owl the previous evening to report to Weiss in the early morning for a briefing over their presentations. This request was slightly odd for two reasons. First off, the man who had so urgently insisted that his replacement be found and trained immediately had scarcely shown much interest in the competition. Percy and Smith had quickly realized that all dealings would be handled directly with the department head, as Weiss made it plain that he wouldn't be bothered with such trivial things as his job. Percy assumed Grumman had finally cajoled the old man in to taking up some of the slack; a move which Percy affectionately agreed was long overdue. Despite being a little frazzled and overtly blunt, Mr. Grumman was a very efficient and likable boss, and it was clear to Percy that the added stress of directing the competition single handedly on top off all his other duties was causing the man not quite in his forties to prematurely grey.

The second oddity of this request was the time. In his owl, he was told the meeting was to take place at sunrise. After consulting his almanac he was alarmed to see that the exact moment of sun rise was 5:06 AM; seeing as how most of the Ministry didn't show up until about 8:30, Percy was quite surprised by this early start. However, after reflecting on the sleeping habits of his Great Aunt Muriel and how she was asleep by seven and up by three, he assumed that a five in the morning meeting wasn't terribly off putting for Weiss.

So, Percy arrived on time and bright eyed before Weiss hobbled in at 5:30. Weiss then talked for a half hour or so about the progress of his work, his efficiencies and defects (the latter being only a bit of dryness in his oratory) and his overall performance.

By 6:00 AM, Carmen had yet to arrive.

Weiss suggested breakfast and conjured up some runny eggs and burnt toast which Percy ate without complaint. He listened to Weiss talk about his Basset Hounds, to which Percy honestly replied that even though he had never owned one himself, he was quite a dog lover. This launched the old man into a forty minute rant about the superiority of dogs over cats to which Percy listened to with the same amusement he did when Audrey began to do something similar. His lips curved into a smile as he let his thoughts drift away from the rant about animals over to Audrey explaining the merits of some sort of Muggle device or band she loved, and the good natured sour look she'd give him when he pretended to doze off in the same fashion she would when he got too deep into his reports or the latest magical theory he read in publishing. He made sure he let an affirmative agreement fall out of his lips while the old man carried on, allowing him to happily reminisce as time ticked past. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Smith fell through the door, closely tailed by Ascolese who carried his boss's file case that bourgeoned out with parchments.

"No, damn you, stop following me! Just go back to the office and sit!" Smith growled, ripping the case out of his assistant's hands and slamming the door in his face. As Smith turned, Percy noticed the frayed look of his appearance, as though his competitor had simply rolled out of bed and in to the Ministry.

"Schmidty, nice of you to join us," Weiss said wispily, waving him to sit down. Percy's face glowed upon hearing Carmen addressed by the wrong name, on top of his excessive tardiness. Smith shot Percy a glowering look as he sat down, looking as though he were thinking the exact same thing

"I'm sorry I am late, sir, I just had some confusion about when this meeting actually took place," Smith spewed quickly. Weiss gave him a distasteful look before adjusting his glasses and reading over the notes he took on Smith's presentation. Percy was slightly surprised that he was allowed to hear the criticism of his foe, but he was not asked to leave while Smith was being critiqued. Weiss just had a very old fashioned way of dealing with things, Percy concluded; that and he was probably ready to leave.

Like Percy, Smith had very few negatives said on his behalf. Percy had been unpleasantly surprised to see that Smith had managed to put together a fairly good report, and until today he thought the competition to be very neck and neck. Now, half way through the quarter, Percy felt his promptness and stick-to-it effort had put him at an advantage.

"Well, that about brings us up to date on the two of you. Now I believe we have just uncovered more highly illicit and dangerous artifacts that need to be handled right away, as well as some more personnel files that I have gone through that need to be re-filed. I was going to split the job between the two of you, but seeing as how important this is, and how Mr. Smith so values his rest, I'll just have to burden Mr. Weasley with the lot of it." Weiss finished in a mater-of-fact tone and rose from his desk to leave.

"But sir, I can assure you I am quite capable of handling-" Smith called out, but was cut off by Weiss again.

"Everything you need is in the Co-Op office Mr. Weasley, which should be open any minute now. Good day." And with that the door slammed behind him, and Mr. Weiss was out of sight. This was about the time the smugness set in, and considering the situation, he felt it was rightly deserved.

"Don't, don't say anything or I swear I'll hex you right here and now," Smith muttered, getting out of his chair heavily and heading towards the door

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Schmidty," Percy said just loud enough to be heard by the retreating figure before Smith slammed the door. Left alone, Percy jumped up and clapped his hands together loudly; his face broke out into a huge grin, and he proceeded to do a jig of victory as he exited the office. The odds were starting to stack heavily in his favor, and as long as he kept it up, this office would soon be his.

He checked his watch which proclaimed it was nearly eight. Surprised that only three hours had passed since his arrival, Percy attempted to maintain an outward appearance of collected coolness despite his elation while he made his way down the corridor to the main office of International Magical Cooperation, and he was pleased to find the door open. He turned to enter, expecting to be the first inside, and was therefore surprised to see Mr. Grumman leaning casually against the desk, speaking in a sweet and friendly tone to the head secretary Ms. Mathews. Mathews was a plain looking but very friendly witch in her mid-thirties. Like his, her skin was quite colorless from the large amount of day light hours spent inside and bags puffed slightly under her eyes after enduring the high stress job she had maintained for nearly a decade. Hers was one of the most important yet underappreciated jobs in the department, as she relayed both intra and inter department memos, basically tying the branch to the rest of the Ministry. Mr. Grumman had often stressed the necessity of being good to the over worked witch, and Percy, finding her both extremely efficient and very pleasant, had no qualms following.

As the two spoke in hushed but giggly tones however, Percy developed an inkling that it was more than just the efficiency of his department that caused Grumman to crusade on the secretary's behalf. Not wanting to embarrass the two, yet determined to start his new project, Percy made a big deal of pushing the door open to announce his presence. Grumman turned to see his employee enter and the two straightened out a bit, though large grins remain plastered to their faces.

"Weasley!" Grumman greeted brightly, smiling through his salt and pepper mustache and clapping him on the back. "You're here early."

"Yes sir, I just got out of Mr. Weiss's Sunrise Meeting," Percy explained. Grumman and Ms. Mathews both grimaced at the prospect.

"Yes, Orion did have an affinity to start the day dreadfully early. We lost more than a handful of good interns merely on the ground that they couldn't get up early enough." Grumman smiled and took a long sip from his coffee cup. "I was just telling Valencia here about how well you and Ms. Larrabee have been doing through the quarter. Hopefully when you're sub department head you won't start the meetings nearly as early."

Grumman once again clapped Percy's back in affection, before shooting the secretary a covert smile and leaving the office. Percy felt slightly dumbstruck by Grumman's words of encouragement and he stood with his mouth slightly agape. He turned to the desk quickly to see the secretary craning to watch the back of Grumman's figure as he traversed the hall. Caught in the act, Valencia smiled sheepishly, and Percy grinned back. The two both patted the desk with excitement and Percy found himself replicating Grumman's stance as he leaned against the counter.

"Did you hear that Val? He wants me to win this!" he hissed proudly.

"Of course he does! Spiro, I mean, Mr. Grumman, thinks you are an excellent candidate." Valencia smiled at the "accidental" slip of familiarity she shared with their boss. "And I quite agree. You are much easier to work with then that huffy Smith."

Percy smiled at the thought of someone actually thinking he was easy to work with, and found within him a rare urge to small talk with a fellow coworker.

"Is that so? I would love to hear more about what the two of you think of me. Perhaps we could call him back in for a few minutes. I can get some praise, and you can have another chance to ever so discreetly check out his arse." He shot the secretary a knowing smile, causing her to blush and giggle like a girl half her age.

"It is a rather nice one though, don't you think?" she asked coyly. Percy laughed.

"I assure you I wouldn't know." They both shared in another friendly smile and Valencia shuffled out her papers.

"So, my dear Mr. Weasley, what can I get for you today?" she asked.

"I believe Mr. Weiss had a few top priority packages and files that needed sorting out. It was originally a task to be shared between Mr. Smith and myself, but uh, Orion decided I was fully capable of handling the task alone."

"Oh, how unfortunate for Mr. Smith. The parcels look very interesting." She smiled in mock sympathy to the predicament and winked at him before going to the back to get his things. Percy was very surprised at how well the early day had gone so far. He had never really like working with anyone, and previously only associated with others when he had to. But in the past weeks he found himself not only not tolerating working with others, but quite enjoying it. He no longer felt the urge to hide in solitary confinement. And what more, others were starting to like having him around. This wasn't the first time Grumman had given him friendly encouragement and he had the feeling that other workers in the office were cheering him on, offering him help he was nearly certain they didn't give Smith. And his relationship with Audrey… well, that was a little complex, yet admittedly extremely enjoyable.

"You are always so sexy when you smile," a sleek voice whispered in his ear. Percy shook, slightly startled, and turned with a shocked expression to the cool thin blonde who stood uncomfortably close.

"Cordelia! I didn't hear you…" Percy trailed off as she smiled, wrapping her long arms around his torso and shoulders, lightly resting her weight against him. He stood frozen, neither speaking nor moving away. With no protest from her object, her lips parted in a sultry smile and she ran her manicured fingers up his jaw line to the sensitive area around his ears. A sharp intake of breath encouraged her further, and she proceeded, knowing exactly how to get his blood boiling.

"I've been back for ages and you have yet to come and see me. Why have you left me so lonely Percy?" she purred, mere millimeters away from his face. She pushed her body closer to his, rubbing her high boned cheek across his face as her lips moved to the lobe of his ears. She felt the warmth radiating from the extremity and could pictured them flushing red as they did when he was aroused before grabbing the lobe lightly between her teeth. This finally led to some movement on his part, and he slowly ran his hands up her arms, grabbing them firmly. He turned his face slowly to rub against hers, getting as close to her ears as she was to his. Using his leverage, he pulled her body closer to his, and with his raspy bedroom voice he began to whisper.

"Could it be because you are such a tempestuous bitch?" he asked heavily, pushing her away slightly. Cordelia was slightly shocked by this, accustomed to Percy melting easily into her hands. But all was not lost, for though she sensed his brain telling him to release her fully, she felt his body demanding otherwise. She smirked; this new, partially formed backbone could be fun.

"But I thought that was what you loved about me," she responded playfully, tilting her head up to reach his face, lightly rubbing against his lips.

"I don't love anything about you," he said firmly, but once again, he did not move away. Cordelia smiled.

"Well, you may not love anything about me, but I know you love some of the things I can do to you." Once again she began wrapping herself around him, snaking one of her hands through the buttons of his shirt to touch his chest. "Don't you remember? I made you moan in ways your bimbo bohemian office maid could never dream of."

Percy's eyes fluttered open at this last comment. Disgusted with himself for letting things escalate this far (and at work no less!) after swearing to himself he would never again be seduced by this scarlet woman, he pushed her away. Cordelia was completely caught off guard by this, having solidly felt she had him wrapped around her finger, and the push caused her to shuffle back a few feet. This dismissal came not a moment too soon, for as soon as Cordelia straightened up fully on her feet, Valencia returned from the back office, struggling with a handful of files and parcels.

"Sorry it took so long, but these small boxes weigh a ton, and the files make the whole thing so bulky!" she exclaimed in her friendly manner. She dropped the objects on her desk and looked up cheerfully, but this look was not reciprocated. Percy had gone rigid, his lips pressed thin and his eyes no longer shone with laughter. Cordelia was breathing ruggedly and staring daggers at Percy across the room, her stance resembling a cat preparing to strike. Valencia stood still, absorbing the tension in the air and unsure of exactly where to go, seeing as a war seemed to break out right in front of her desk.

Cordelia's gaze finally turned off of Percy and on to the secretary.

"I need these figures sent over to the French Seats immediately! No screw ups or it will be your head!" Cordelia screamed. Valencia winced, and looked hopelessly at the unmoving Percy before grabbing the letters Cordelia had thrown and once again running to the back.

"Don't you yell at her!" Percy demanded fiercely, though inwardly he felt lame for waiting to chastise her after Val had already left. Cordelia remained at her place across the room, eyes closed as she collected herself. When they opened, her usual cold grey eyes pierced him, and a humorless smirk spread across her lips.

"She doesn't want you, you know," she said coolly.

"Wh-at?" he stuttered involuntarily. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I am talking about," she replied. "Your little office tart. You don't have enough to offer her for her to be interested in you." Percy felt the heat rise in his body and his fists clenched tightly.

"This has nothing to do with someone wanting me. It's about me not wanting someone like you." Cordelia's smirk curled higher on her face and she let out an exaggerated laugh.

"Whatever you say, Percival. But let me warn you, your little assistant isn't as sweet and innocent as she acts. She is fully prepared to do whatever it takes to get what she wants."

Percy paused to take in this information, but quickly shook it off.

"Like you aren't," he scoffed. Cordelia shrugged.

"Sure I am. But at least I'm up front about it. She is far more subtle in the way she cons a man. They don't even know what hits them until it's too late." Cordelia finished by flipping her hair off her shoulders flirtatiously. To her delight, Percy stood frozen in his place, the red flush drained out of his face till he was completely pale. On her way out the door she paused once more by him, placing her hand against his heaving chest.

"Just be careful my love, I wouldn't want this perfect body ripped in two." And with that she walked out the door, leaving Percy to shatter on the floor alone.


	10. Internal Dialogue

Internal Dialogue

Percy stood as though Petrified as Cordelia's words sliced through him. He felt the blood from his face drain unpleasantly to the bottom of his stomach where it lay like a quagmire. Breathing became more of an issue as his lungs seemed to have crystallized, causing sharp pains in his chest every time he drew in a ragged breath. He was queasy, and though he tried to stand still he felt tremors pulsate in his arms and legs. His head buzzed erratically preventing any two coherent thoughts from pairing together. This was particularly unnerving as a small portion of his consciousness remained aware, and it desperately screamed in terror, begging to know what was happening.

"_You're having a panic attack, you idiot,"_ a sarcastic but calm voice called out from inside his trembling brain.

"What?" he called, answering himself a little shakily.

"_A pan-ic a-tta-ck,"_ the internal chime replied a bit irritably, as though annoyed at having to repeat itself.

Percy hadn't had a panic attack since the middle of his fifth year when he lost his OWL review sheet for Charms. As a high strung youth he had been quite susceptible to spells of anxiety which often manifested themselves into physical ailments. Up until that point it was something he allowed himself to have, taking precaution only in ensuring nobody (especially his worrisome mother and teasing brothers) ever saw him. But when it started to interfere with his studies he began taking more proactive steps. Consciously rule breaking for one of the few times in his school career, Percy used his Prefect status as an excuse to sneak into the library after hours and stole a book. Leaving a blank replica behind, Percy hid the self-help hardback under his mattress as he determinedly studied preventive measures in coping. Though the book often suggested seeking out some professional help for severe cases, he couldn't bear showing such a weakness to Madam Pomfrey or a Healer, and instead he used his professional determination to master the issue on his own. It had been a point of pride and the smallest of comforts when he kept himself together a year later when Penelope lay in the Infirmary after being attacked by the ___Basilisk, or two years after that when he felt sure that Ron had died after being dragged into the lake. He had felt himself start to unravel on the night of the Battle of Hogwarts, but even then he had able to keep it together enough to help carry Fred's body to safety and to fight to ensure that no more of his loved ones were harmed._

___But this verbal assault had taken him by surprise, and he had not thought to ready himself mentally against an attack triggered by Cordelia. As he continued to shake while he stood alone in the Co-op office, it became clear to Percy that he needed to act in order to gain composure and sanity. However, the second he tried to get his brain to focus on the necessary steps to reach these statuses, he realized just how dizzy and unfocused he was, and for a moment he felt like he didn't have the energy to even make an effort._

_"Breathe!"____ the inner voice demanded sharply. __"Breathe, you worthless prat, before you kill us both!"___

Breathe? Could it really be that simple? Percy felt the thought did seem to have some merit and pulled in a deep lung full of air, ignoring the stabs of pain in his chest as he did.

"_Good. Now exhale and repeat until you no longer feel like vomiting."_ Percy shook his head in obedience and followed his orders. Indeed, with each breath he took it became a little easier to stand, and the pains in his body began to dull. All he needed was enough time alone to continue seamlessly through the process before he would come to.

"Weasley Junior!" a loud, booming voice called. "Or one of them, anyway. How the hell are you?"

Percy snapped upright. This engagement would require much more than breathing.

He spun on his heel to face the large burly stature of Albert Alkek, Magical Law liaison to the Library of the Ministry, and Muggle enthusiast. Alkek and Mr. Weasley had long been friends based upon this shared passion, and the two of them had been known to venture out into the Muggle World to immerse themselves in the culture. One such memorable excursion had the two of them kicked out of a local electronics shop after gawking a bit too loudly at an automatic card shuffler. Needless to say, Percy knew the man.

"Hullo, Mr. Alkek," Percy sputtered, focusing intently on reducing the speed of his breathing while ensuring he remained doing so.

"Whoa there little Weasley, you look like you just walked through a ghost! What the devil is the matter?" Alkek asked boisterously, slapping Percy hard on the back. The excess force on his precariously balanced body almost sent Percy flying forward. He shot his arm out forward to brace himself against the counter. He pulled off this maneuver as intentional by throwing his hand on the packages Valencia left for him.

"Not much sleep, er, up early," Percy was able to say as he moved the rest of his body closer to his pile of parcels, concentrating with all his might to ensure they were still stacked and easily accessible.

"Ah, a young buck like yourself, doesn't surprise me in the slightest to hear you going out at all hours of the night! What is life without a little adventure?"Alkek asked brightly, unaware of Percy's dangling predicament.

"Right," Percy replied, without actually realizing what he was agreeing to. All he could think about was getting as far away from that office and off to a secluded place where he could relax his beating pulse privately. "I have to get going sir, but it's been nice seeing you. I'll tell Dad we bumped into one another."

Percy registered deep vibrations in his ears coupling with the buzzing in his head, signaling Alkek had responded, but Percy did not bother deciphering what was being said. He slid the parcels into his arms to hurry out of the room and was shocked with how heavy one of the small cubes was. Had he not felt like he was about to implode upon himself and supernova, the box would have peaked his curiosity a bit more. Instead, he merely shifted the boxes carefully in his grasp and walked swiftly away from the main corridor now teeming with life, heading to the seldom used emergency stairwell.

He kicked the door to the stairs hard, causing a banging echo to reverberate up and down the flights. He didn't bother to care if this noise brought about attention, and simply let the parcels he was carrying drop out of his hands as he threw his back against the wall to steady himself. Percy clutched his chest to monitor his still rapidly beating heart and continued to breathe steadily in order to calm himself physically. After a few minutes the symptoms began to clear and he was able to address the larger matter at hand.

Why had Cordelia's words sent him into such a panic? Heaven knows the two of them had had their share of nasty fights. The last time they had argued she had thrown every cut down insult imaginable towards him, and the worst that had happen was he had hurt his knuckles punching his flat's wall in frustration after she had stormed out. Today's exchange was far milder then was normal for the wretched witch, so why was she able to crush him with just a few calmly stated sentences? As Percy threw his head back against the wall, letting out a deep lung full of air, he realized he knew the answer.

Audrey. There was no denying that he thought of her often, more and more so as time went by. She had been a consistent source of joy and comfort to him over the past few stressful weeks. He had been surprised time and time again at how she could be so seemingly clueless and absent minded one moment, and then the next find some error or detail he had over looked, or manage to have a file he needed on hand before he even asked for it. She was remarkably insightful and clever, managing to tease and push his buttons just enough to get him to laugh at himself without ever being mean. The girl could be such a mess sometimes Percy often wondered how she got out of her house with both boots on her feet, yet when it came time to be serious, she was always alert and ready.

Audrey had been so helpful at work, but had done even more for him on a personal level. Not only had she been encouraging and comforting when he voiced that he was down, but her over all personality had began to rub off on him. It was hard to be frustrated and unhappy at work when she was so good natured and bubbly. He found himself focusing on work less and spending more time concentrating on whatever she was doing. And when he sat and thought about it, Percy realized he didn't mind. In fact, he rather enjoyed the distraction.

After thinking of Audrey for so long, Percy realized a smile had crept on to his face. He shook it off and pushed himself to focus on his problem. Yes, he conceded, Audrey was beautiful, incredibly adorable, and he enjoyed nearly every moment in her company. He had grown close to her, cared for her, which was admittedly not something he often did. But the way Cordelia talked about him wanting her made it seem like he craved for more than just friendship.

Percy felt his heart tug at the thought, but quickly shut the sentiment down. It was unprofessional to think of her that way. She was a just a very friendly person who was forced to spend her work week cooped up in a small office with him. Yes they had become friends, but no more than that. Besides, Audrey was already in a relationship, so there was no reason to venture down that road of thought. But these were all things Percy already knew, so what caused him to go off?

"_You don't have enough to offer her for her to be interested in you."_

Cordelia's words bounced around his head as clearly as if she had just shouted them into the cavernous stairwell. Upon hearing them this time however, Percy didn't feel upset. Instead he got angry, a bit at her, but mostly at himself. It truly was a classic Cordelia sentence. They had spent enough time around another for him to know how she worked. She got to know enough about her opponents to find their weakness and use it to break them. And Cordelia Banks certainly knew enough about Percy to do just that. She knew Percy struggled with feelings of inadequacy, both personally and professionally. The more he thought about it, the more perfect of a thing it was for her to say. It doubled both on the aspects of how he hated being poor and how he felt he could never measure up against ruggedly handsome Quidditch players, of which he knew at least two of Audrey's boyfriends had been. He felt stupid, and a bit pathetic, for falling for such a trap. Cordelia was attacking him for no longer wanting to associate with her, and her sick mind concocted that the only reason he no longer wanted her was because he wanted someone else. Which wasn't the case, he reasoned with himself firmly.

"_Your little assistant isn't as sweet and innocent as she acts." _

Percy hesitated upon revisiting this sentence and began to think about it. Not in the way Cordelia intended, for he already found a hole in her logic. If he had nothing to offer Audrey, why would she be conning him? But there were things about Audrey that made him wonder. She was hiding something, perhaps even multiple somethings, and it was getting to be more noticeable the longer he was around her. Audrey was so seemingly open most of the time, sometimes to the point where she wouldn't shut up. Yet there had been several instances where she had frozen, neglected to speak on an issue, or simply joked something off that obviously had upset her. Percy noticed this happening the most whenever her family was brought up, but she had also failed to fully explain their quick get-a-way from the Lancasters, or why she had seemingly lost all interest in her art when he knew for a fact she had amazing talent. Such occurrences were mostly minor, but they were frequent and adding up all the time. It was becoming obvious that there was more to Audrey then she was letting on, and it was clear to Percy that she was intentionally hiding things about her life from him. This bothered him, more so then he liked to admit, because it made him feel like they weren't as close as he'd like to think. But he reminded himself that she was well with in her right to have secrets and keep private if she wished, no matter how out of character he thought it seemed. Plus, despite the fact that the two were so casual around one another, he was still her boss, and boundaries, even if unwanted, still had to be drawn.

Even if Audrey was hiding something, Percy was certain that Cordelia knew nothing about it anyways. To his knowledge the two had conversed only once, and he knew enough about Audrey to feel secure that she would steer clear of the likes of Cordelia, even if Percy didn't despise her first. Surely Cordelia had only said that in hopes that it would stir up unpleasant emotions in him, and he felt incredibly thick for allowing her ruse to be successful.

"Well, that stops now," he thought determinedly, straightening himself up off the wall. After his extensive reasoning he felt much calmer and level headed, and was ready to leave his solitude behind him. Though still a bit shaken, he was ready to rectify the situation fully. He made a mental note to apologize to Valencia for the scare at the office and to strike up a friendly conversation with Alkek later to show that his earlier antics were only temporary. He knew it would be easier to shake off Cordelia's insults when he worked through all of his guilt, and as he left the stairway and made his way to his office, he knew that that meant more than just apologizing to the two of them. He also needed to apologize to Audrey.

_(A/N: Sorry that this chapter ends kind of abruptly. It's actually just part of a single chapter that ended up being so long I figured it would be better broken up. The next chapter is already written and is being reviewed for grammar and other errors, and should be up in a couple days. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it!) _


	11. Short Skirt, Long Jacket

Short Skirt/Long Jacket

(A/N: Based loosely off _Short Skirt/Long Jacket_ by Cake)

Not that she had any way of knowing what just happened; indeed he prayed she never came privy to the morning's events. But none the less he felt guilty for letting Cordelia's game strike any amount of doubt across Audrey's impeccable character. He had no reason not to trust Audrey and all the reason in the world not to listen to Cordelia. But how does one apologize to someone without that person ever knowing that they had been wronged?

Percy was in such deep thought about this inquiry that he paid little attention to his surroundings, and the answer quite literally nearly smacked him in the face. He came about in just enough time to miss running into the mobile coffee cart that was periodically pulled throughout the Ministry in the mornings. He nearly cursed as his parcels almost spilled out of his hands, but held back as the idea struck him. Yes it was a small act, but it would definitely be a welcomed treat. Besides, she had tried apologizing to him with coffee before, so it should work the other way around.

A few minutes and a handful of Sickles later, Percy finally made it to his office. Perched precariously atop his stack of boxes sat the largest blended coffee drink he could buy, chalk full of espresso shots, dark chocolate chunks, and topped with whipped cream. He balanced it all quite carefully and managed to open up his office door. Practically tripping the few steps from the corridor to his desk, he dropped his bulky and heavy parcel load on top of the table, saving the drink before it toppled over. It was not until he had let go of all the boxes that he realized how heavy it all was, and he let out a small gasp of pain as he stretched out his aching arms. As he turned to the corner, he noticed that Audrey was already there. This was not particularly surprising as it was already half past eight. What was strange was her dress and demeanor. Though her style normally bordered on eccentric, with bright colored stockings, layered peasant skirts and bangle accessories, he couldn't quite figure what she was trying to pull off today. She was wearing strapped and fierce looking knee high boots that were propped up on a shabby cardboard box. Though it was July, she was wrapped in a light beige trench coat that was fully buttoned up, hiding any other attire she had on. And, despite being inside, she wore thick black sunglasses. She was sitting up facing his direction, but hadn't acknowledged his presence. It took Percy a few moments to realize that she was asleep.

"Audrey?" he called out to her softly. She shook at the sound of her name being called and began to grumble incoherently. As she moved, Percy smelt the unmistakable scent of stale liquor radiating from her person.

"Are you…hung over?" he asked hesitantly, with a small amount of disappointment. Audrey barked out an irritated laugh.

"No, because that would have involved me actually having a chance to _have_ a drink last night," she stated flatly. She adjusted herself to sit more properly in the chair, and her nose wrinkled when she too smelt the presence of alcohol. "Ugh, but I certainly smell why you asked that."

Percy took the chair next to her and looked to Audrey with a confused and concerned gaze.

"Then what happened?" The aggravated look upon Audrey's face melted into a wearied smile. She perched her glasses on the top of her head and rubbed vigorously at her eyes. When she removed her hands, Percy saw the old residue of her eye makeup from the previous night and red blotches on her cheeks that were normally hid by concealer.

"The Appleby Arrows are going to the semi-finals," she stated simply. Percy sat back in his chair and he began to comprehend the situation.

"The game was in Scotland, but when they won they came back to celebrate here in London. I was visiting my grandmother that evening and by the time I met up with them at the pub the whole team was already smashed, along with a large group of young girls who were apparently fans." Audrey pursed her lips at this statement before continuing. "I spent the whole night making sure none of Max's teammates poisoned themselves with all the alcohol they consumed, fighting both Beaters and the Keeper as they all tried sticking their hands up my skirt, which Max went back and forth from finding funny, to wanting to punch any guy who got near me. Then, I had to smooth over the damages done when the Seeker somehow managed to break open the giant wooden keg of ale, which is why I smell so rosy by the way. By the time I was able to take all the boys home and have them settled down it was already morning. I didn't have enough time to shower or even change so I threw on a coat, grabbed my bag and made it here as quickly as possible." After finishing her unenthusiastic rant, she once again rubbed at her eyes, causing her black eye makeup to smear against her dark sleep circles. She shook her head after a few moments and tried her best to compose herself. A sigh escaped her lips before giving Percy a bright and radiant smile to combat the look of worry he held upon his face.

"I'm so sorry, I know I'm a complete mess right now, but I promise you I am fully capable to work, and I'll go home and shower on my lunch break. I hope that's alright." Audrey's eyes morphed into a pleading look, causing Percy to smile.

"It's alright, really. Everyone has bad nights, and it was very caring of you to look after your boyfriend the way you did," he assured. _Even if he is Britain's largest prat_, he added inwardly. He gave Audrey a reassuring pat on the leg before turning to his desk to grab the drink he brought for her.

"Anyways, you're in luck. I got this for you earlier and there is so much sugar and espresso crammed in here I guarantee you'll be sent into cardiac arrest." Audrey immediately perked up as he passed her the cup, taking a long draw out of the straw.

"Gee whiz, this is brilliant!" she exclaimed. "Thank you! How did you know I would need this?"

"Employer's intuition," he stated quickly, causing her to laugh again.

"Well, don't you just know everything?" she teased sweetly, taking another long sip. "Now I feel doubly bad for coming to work looking like a train wreck."

"Nonsense," he exclaimed, grabbing a napkin off his desk and rubbing it against the condensation of her frozen drink. "You look like a very adorable raccoon."

They both descended into laughter before Percy used his damp napkin to lightly wipe away the marks around her eyes, grabbing her chin and moving in close to ensure he could do his job diligently. Audrey's laughter stopped at this action but the smile remained behind, changing its form from momentary amusement to something soft and genuine. Percy liked that smile.

As the moment stretched forward and he realized he had finished wiping her face and now was simply staring, he broke the silence with an awkward cough and settled back into his chair. Percy could swear he saw a flicker of regret flash over her face as he pulled away, but assured himself it was only imaginary, as when he looked again she was merely beaming friendly.

"Wow, you're being awfully sweet today, I wish there was something I could give you in return… oh wait!" she exclaimed with mock realization. Using her formidable looking boot, she pushed forward the shanty box she had been resting her feet on in his direction.

"What is this?" he inquired, bending over to open the flap. Inside, slanted against the walls of the box, sat a dozen sturdy thin squares Percy recognized as album covers. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he grabbed one of them to study, his eyes skimming over the large group of colorful people standing behind a base drum and flower garden.

"It is time, Mr. Weasley, that you begin your musical education," Audrey explained after taking a sip from her now half empty coffee cup. "What you have there in your hand now is Sgt. Peppers, one of the best Beatles albums out there. There are a few more in the box, plus some Kinks, Zeppelin, Journey, Hendrix, a little Dylan, the Who and so forth. Pretty much your classic late 60's, 70's geniuses. I gave you mostly greatest hits albums to give you a feel, but you have to listen closely, okay? You aren't a complete person if you don't. Plus there are also cookies in there. My grandma and I made them last night." Percy looked into his box in amazement, pulling out the bag of snickerdoodles and thumbing through the volumes.

"What made you think to do all this?" he asked with an excited smile.

"Well I've been meaning to put together a little care package since you came over to my place the other week. It just broke my heart that you had been denied such important experiences. Plus, my dad used to own a record store and my grandmother had been trying to get rid of all the back stock. I figured it was the perfect way to kill a few birds with one stone," she explained, curling up on the chair and draining the last of her drink.

"This is great, I'll play some of them tonight," he assured, both happy to hear the music she loved and that she had thought of him so thoroughly. Actually, it was really the second part that was putting him into such a cheerful mood. "_A dangerous road to travel,"_ he thought to himself, especially after the delicate events of the morning.

"You and the Bob Dylan bloke have the same sunglasses," Percy commented, after shifting his focus to the album cover in his hand. Audrey sputtered a bit, her mouth full of the left over whip cream she had cleared from her cup.

"Sort of. They're both Wayfarers but mine are more Breakfast at Tiffany's- Audrey Hepburn style," she explained. Percy stared at her with little comprehension of what she had just said. "Hepburn? Er, is that your middle name?" Percy asked, striking up a guess. Audrey laughed.

"No, Audrey Hepburn is a Muggle movie actress, very chic and beautiful. My middle name is Lola," she answered.

"Lola?" Percy repeated strangely before he could stop himself.

"L-O-L-A, Lola," Audrey responded with a wide smile. When Percy's gaze continued to stay fixed in confusion, Audrey elaborated.

"It's from a Kinks' song. My dad picked it out because it's a song about being centered and confused all at the same time, and that's how he said he felt about me and being a dad. Well, actually it's a song about a young man falling in love with a transvestite, but that is neither here nor there."

Percy stared at her, mouth a gape for a few moments before collecting himself. "You listen to the strangest things."

Audrey shrugged. "Girls will be boys and boys will be girls, it's mixed up, muddled up, shook up world except for Lola," she sang back in defense, tossing her coffee in the rubbish. "It's in there, listen to it. You'll like it."

"I'm sure," Percy chuckled, shaking his head and turning to his desk. The piles of packages sat scattered in front of him, taking up a large portion of his work space. Two of the boxes were large and flimsy, and Percy figured these were the personnel files that had been revised and needed to be replaced. Some other packages were oddly shaped, wrapped with brown paper instead of being placed properly in a box. In fact, the only suitably contained parcel was the small heavy one Percy had noticed earlier. Even now, Percy noticed how it crushed the file boxes, causing the tops to wrinkle under the pressure. With some applied effort, Percy lifted the small cube from its sitting position and placed it on the small cleared space in front of him. It landed with a hard metallic clink.

"What's that?" Audrey asked, noticing the strain the little box placed on both the table and Percy's grasp.

"I'm not sure yet. Weiss said it was something illegal and dangerous though," Percy replied cautiously, looking at her hesitantly.

"I get your drift," she replied, "I'll stay back until we know what it is."She uncurled herself from her chair, flashing quite a lot of leg as her jacket un-bunched. Percy spent a moment wondering exactly what she was wearing under her trench that would leave her uncovered at least half way up her thigh, but quickly returned to the matter at hand. He took is wand and tapped lightly at the box, causing the tape to unravel and the lids to pop open. Inside sat half a dozen metal bottles shaped like small milk jars, all tightly sealed. Percy picked one of the objects up, and quickly realized it was not made of metal, but a thick, reinforced glass. It was the liquid inside that gave it its heavy silver sheen look. As he stared at the contents, he couldn't decipher all the colors that emanated, and found himself slightly transfixed at the vibrant hues that formed as he rolled the heavy bottle around his open palm.

"Delphinium Glaze!" Audrey called out, shaking Percy out of his memorized trance. He felt a little out of focus after looking away and didn't immediately grasp the fact that Audrey had bounded across the room, grabbing the vile from his hand.

"Wh-what is that stuff?" he asked, taking off his glasses and rubbing at his nose to relieve the pressure threatening to mount into a headache.

"Delphinium Glaze!" she repeated with excitement as she checked the bottle herself. "It's an artist's tool, very rare, and extremely valuable, this one bottle here probably costs more then I'd make at the Ministry in four lifetimes! You cover your painted artworks with it when you're done and it makes it the most vibrant and breathtaking hues imaginable. It makes any painting so gorgeous you can't take your eyes off of it!"

"Okay…," Percy said slowly, putting his glasses back on. "That's great and all, but why the fuss? Weiss said all this stuff is dangerous and illegal." He watched Audrey bite her lip after he spoke, lowering the vile from her face down close to her body.

"Because, well, some people… not everyone… but most I suppose… quite literally can't take their eyes off of it. If the solution is too strong the paint becomes so mesmerizing people can't stop looking at it. They'll stand there through thirst and hunger until, well, they die," she said dejectedly, giving the vile a good push over to the box of its brothers.

"You're joking?" Percy said with arched eyebrows, taking another close look. But sure enough he found himself once again captivated by the rich and swirling colors.

"I'm not," she sighed firmly, gently prying the vile away and placing it out of sight into the box. "I read a book once that had a photo of a painting, just a photo, and I stared at it for two hours until Madam Pince tore the book away when I completely ignored her calls saying the library closed. It can be pretty powerful stuff. Luckily, people today aren't really sure how it is made. The few ingredients that are known are all poisonous, like the Delphinium flower. Research on it has been banned and the remaining solutions are to be destroyed immediately without prolonged exposure."

"You sure know a lot about this stuff…" Percy said cautiously. Audrey wiggled uncomfortably, biting her lip as she avoided eye contact.

"I used to be really interested in how it was made. I was pretty good at potions and thought I could find a way to make a much more watered down version of it, just to make the paint brighter. I figured I could use it to open my own studio, it's pretty hard to make it as an artist now days, everyone needs an edge," she explained softly, almost talking more to herself then to Percy. Worried feelings began to flood through his veins as Percy saw a look of longing in her gaze as she stared at the small box. Audrey must have sensed this because she quickly laughed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.

"It was a long time ago, and I was really just curious. I never tried anything, certainly nothing illegal! It was just sort of a thought or interest I had as a school girl. I mean, everybody has those desirous wants that are a tad inappropriate." Percy mulled this over and agreed. He certainly had had such thoughts, and worse had often acted on them. There really was no harm in wishing to have an edge, and she clearly pushed no boundaries or acted on it. But still, there was a nagging voice in the back of Percy's mind bursting to be heard.

"_She is fully prepared to do whatever it takes to get what she wants." _

No! No, he would not let himself go back to that place. He was done debating over what Cordelia had said. Had this conversation happened yesterday he wouldn't think twice about Audrey looking a bit too long over at the Glaze, or have the urge to compulsively obsess over her motives. He had to stop himself from letting Cordelia sabotage one of the few non-family relationships he had.

Lucky for him, a flutter of wings and Audrey's high pitched scream was enough to pull himself out of his head.

Percy jumped from his seat as Hermes floated across the room, landing lightly on his shoulder. The bird stayed calm as Percy whipped around his desk to find Audrey curled up on the floor, legs together in the most dignified manner she could maintain after having slipped off the chair in panic.

"What's the matter?" Percy cried, trying to pull her back on her feet.

"That," she said simply, shielding her face with one arm as she pointed to Percy's shoulder with the other. Percy looked behind him, and upon seeing nothing, rested his gaze on his owl.

"Hermes?" he inquired. Audrey nodded her head in the affirmative.

"I'm sorry if he startled you but, he is all calm now," Percy tried to assure, again sticking out his hand to help her up.

"I'm sure he is, but I, um, I'm quite comfortable right here," she replied lamely, maintaining her lady like fetal position. Percy stared at her in wonder before finally settling on the most logical, but unreasonable, conclusion.

"Audrey, are you scared of owls?" he asked, barely squashing his amusement. Audrey continued to lie there silently, as though weighing her options, before she finally shouted out:

"Well why shouldn't I be? What with their pointy beaks and sharp talons? Or the way they can see in the dark like it's sunny out, and they are sneaky! Especially that one!" she cried, muffled slightly by her over coat.

"You're a witch! Honestly you must have seen at least a hundred owls a day back at Hogwarts, you couldn't have had freaked out at every breakfast," Percy said logically.

"Unless I was able to either eat lunch early or breakfast late each day and manage to become friendly with all the house elves," she shot back.

"There really is no reason to be scared, especially not of Hermes. I've had him for nearly a decade and he's been nothing if not friendly and loyal."

"I know," Audrey sighed, picking her upper body off the floor and turning to face her boss, "and it's nothing personal Hermes, I'm sure you're a wonderful owl. It's just I can't help my irrational fear, hence the irrational part. Besides, I thought they stopped using owls inside the Ministry."

"They did," Percy reassured as he untied the letter strapped to Hermes' talon, "but this should be the answer to a Ministry request I sent off last night. I normally would have got it at home but I had to be here painfully early for Weiss's meeting. Hermes knows to come straight to me with something important." Percy opened his desk draw to find a small box of owl treats he kept for such an occasion. He let Hermes take his own pick and with a happy hoot the bird flew off his shoulder and out of the office. The smile remained on his face as he watched Audrey's hand slap the table as she pulled herself up. Diligently smoothing her coat, she took her seat once more, sitting as poised as possible.

"So, Mr. Weasley, what does the response say?" she inquired casually. Percy kept himself from laughing, figuring her admittance to her fear and the bruises on her knees were enough indignities to suffer for the incident. Percy pulled out the letter, gazing through it quickly as the affirmative response to his request was simply a business formality. However, as his eyes skimmed down the page, he realized it was not the regular admission he was accustomed to. It took him a few more read-throughs for him to grasp the stated content, but even then, he was not able to accept what it had said.

"This is impossible!" he cried, slapping the parchment down on his desk and turning quickly to his bookcase.

"What's impossible?" Audrey asked hesitantly as she watched Percy flip frantically through a thick, leather-bound volume. Percy ignored her question as he had found his sought after page and focused all his attention at soaking in its information.

"I knew it!" he yelled loudly, throwing the book down as he swapped back to his letter, compulsively reading through it for the seventh time.

"Knew what, what is so impossible?" Audrey demanded, an edge of trepidation quivering in her voice.

"I'm being sabotaged, is all!" he replied dramatically, shoving the paper into her hand. "Slandered and black mailed for a grievance I clearly did not make." Audrey looked worried as she started carefully reading through the notice that had sent Percy into such a tailspin. Upon completing it however, her countenance dropped into an unbelieving gaze focused on her angry boss.

"This just says you filled out the storage request wrong," she said flatly, shaking her head at Percy's tantrum.

"Which is impossible!" he cried again. "I created these forms, l know them in my sleep!"

"I know you like to pride yourself on knowing all the inner workings on Ministry bureaucracy, but mistakes happen, especially now that there is a new system…"

"You don't understand," he said firmly, grabbing the Ministry guideline volume off his desk to show her the pages he was looking for early, "I literally authored over half the forms for this department under the new system, including this one. I know every detail of it _and_ triple check the forms before I send them in. There is no way I made a mistake."

"Oh," Audrey said quietly, looking down at the guideline book. "Then what do you suppose has happened?" Percy braced himself on the desk, thinking hard about the processes the form had to go through to discover his roadblock.

"Wickham," he said finally, pounding his hand against the desk. "The form has to go through John Wickham at the Co-op office and that arse has always had it out for me, not to mention he holds school boy grudges against Gryffindors, and stopping me would help out a fellow Hufflepuff. I hate that fat perverted nepotistic son of a…"

"John Wickham you say?" Audrey asked, biting in her lip as she soaked in the information. "We really need the form to go through to get access today?"

"Yes of course we need it! Haven't you been listening? I have to…" Audrey took her hand and pushed on Percy's shoulder, causing him to sit back down in his chair.

"You have to sit down, relax, and let me handle it. I have an idea," she said calmly.

"Relax!?! I'm finally ahead of the game and my chances are being ruined by a bloated Anteater and you want me to relax?" he demanded.

"Yes," she said simply, scooping her bag off the floor and settling down in the small table in the corner. "Have one of my cookies, it will make you feel better."

"Plus it will fatten you up a bit. I've often been surprised that your stick figure can hold up such a big head, and I worry for your safety lest you finally tip over," a joking voice called from the door frame. George walked in with a grin plastered to his face, recognizing the classic signs of an over-exasperated Percy.

"George!" Percy called out in surprise. His younger brother had never come to visit him at work. "What are you doing here?"

"You know, you said that like you caught me wandering the corridors after curfew," George answered with mock indignity. "I'm hurt. Can't a bloke come around to visit his favorite older brother without suffering such cruelty?"

"What do you want George? I'm having a rough day, and I'm really not in the mood for games," Percy replied, though with a softer inflection.

"Fair enough," George grinned. "I need help with some paperwork. They changed some of the tax sheets and it's all so baffling."

"Really? I thought they changed the system so it'd be easier, more streamline," Percy said, holding his hand out to take George's file.

"It may be, I haven't actually looked at it," George admitted. Percy let out an exasperated sigh and shot his brother a look very much like their mother's. George laughed.

"Oh come off it. This stuff drives me mad and you probably already know everything I need to do off the top of your head. And don't act like you don't love me coming here and asking for your help because I know you do." Percy smiled a bit at this admittance but shook his head.

"I really can't right now, George. Honest I'd love to help but…"

"Shhh, no buts!" Audrey decreed, twisting down her lipstick tube and returning it to her bag. While Percy and George had been talking, Audrey had touched up her appearance, fixing her hair so it hung down purposefully and reapplying her makeup.

"You can help your brother while I go take care of our work problem. It'll take you five minutes, will make you feel better, and George will be even more grateful towards you then he already is."

"It's quite the all around win if you think about it," George agreed.

"It's not that I don't want to help him, I just don't see what you think you can do…" Percy's words were halted by a piece of snickerdoodle flying gently into his mouth. Audrey stood with her wand out, still pointing at his face after successfully delivering the cookie.

"Enjoy my baking, help your brother, relax. I'll be back in a jiffy." Audrey flashed the brothers a smile before flouncing out the door. George turned to watch her leave, impressed at how quickly and comically she had taken control of the situation, and then returned to watch his brother dislodge the treat that silenced him.

"You know, I would be kind of irked that she threw a cookie at me if it wasn't so good," Percy finally said after a few moments of chewing and swallowing. George laughed as he kicked back in his chair, throwing his arms back behind his head in ease. Assenting, Percy grabbed the files and started sorting through them.

"So, do you actually want me to show you how to file these correctly, or are you just going to hassle me into doing any of the store's paperwork that needs to go through the Ministry?" Percy asked light heartedly as he shuffled between receipts and the tax forms.

"I know how much you enjoy this type of thing. What kind of brother would I be if I denied you such pleasure?"

Percy grinned and shook his head at George's comment, tossing the first sheet in his direction as he worked on the second.

"All you need to do is sign. I put big 'X's down where needed so you didn't have to strain yourself reading."

"Ah Percy, I knew you loved me." George then reached out across the desk to grab a cookie out of the plastic bag. With quick and surprising reflexes, Percy slapped at George's hand, knocking it away without looking up from his work. A bit stunned, George looked over and saw Percy trying to hold back a smile.

"You hit like a girl," George commented, reaching again for the bag of sweets.

"Don't let Ginny hear you say that," Percy shot back, grabbing the cookies just out of George's reach.

"I warn you, Percival, I've been coming out with new and soluble lines for Skiving Snackboxes- little dissolvable tablets you can carry around a put in a drink. I haven't quite gotten all the kinks out of it yet, but wasn't it you who always went about saying practice makes perfect?"

Percy mulled over George's threat before extending his arm out with the bag in hand.

"Thank you," George said, reaching out. Once more Percy jerked the cookies back before George could get a hold on them, but pushed the bag his direction before George could retaliate. They caught another's eyes, each laughing softly, before they went about their own businesses of eating and working.

"Got it!" a singing voice called out from the door frame. Audrey slid in, one arm crossed over her chest while the other held a sheet of paper.

"You did?" Percy exclaimed, jumping from his chair. Audrey nodded her head emphatically and gave him the form. Percy read through it quickly, jumping inwardly at seeing he had been granted access. The day had been saved.

"This is brilliant!" Percy moved towards her quickly, nearly jumping over his desk. Audrey laughed giddily as he picked her up and spun, releasing her only after giving her a deep hug. They continued to hold one another's arms after they broke apart.

"How'd you manage to reserve access after all?" Audrey hesitated, tucking a lock behind her ear.

"I simply explained that we needed it, apologized for any mix up, and very nicely asked if he could please just over look the mess because we would be very grateful and willing to someday return the favor," she explained.

"Really, that's it?" Percy asked, cocking his head and knitting his eyebrows together. "Nearly everyone I know who has had to deal with him talks about how hard he is to work with; it's hard to believe he'd be so easy."

Audrey shrugged.

"People can be reasoned with, you just have to give a little," she stated factually. And then she shrugged off the coat no longer securely buttoned or tied together. A tight black and red laced bustier coupled with a short pleated skirt was revealed. Percy felt his mouth open slightly at the sight. Paired with the cutting knee high boots the outfit was quite… alluring. Having only ever seen her in loose fitted cotton tops, slacks or peasant skirts, he had never quite appreciated how curvy she was. As the mystery of why she had gone all morning covered tightly in her trench coat was revealed so unannounced, Percy was vaguely aware of how shocked he appeared.

"Yes boys, these are my breasts," she laughed. "Don't act like you've never seen a pair." Percy came to himself quickly, realizing that George too had been gawking, only he looked more amused and entertained than shocked.

"Wow," George said loudly, grabbing the finished forms and placing them in his file. "If I had known this was the dress code here I would have listened a bit more closely to Mum and gotten a Ministry job." He gave Percy a quick wink before waving good bye to them both and heading out the door. Percy called out a farewell before returning to his seat. Still a bit flabbergasted, he twisted around in his chair, wanting both to look at her and remain professional.

"You look so shocked," she commented playfully, walking over to his side of the desk. Percy paused for a few moments before replying.

"I just never realized you were such a vixen." He sent her a sly smile, causing her to laugh out at his statement.

"A vixen? Really?"

"Yes. Don't get me wrong, I fully endorse and appreciate you using your feminine wiles to push through the bureaucracy; I just didn't think it was possible for someone to willingly try and seduce Wickham." Audrey's mouth dropped open indignantly.

"I did not try to seduce him," she replied with a slight tone of laughter. "I merely walked over and asked him a favor."

"Without the coat on, I'm presuming," he retorted.

"Yes, I was wearing my club outfit. But it's not like I walked in there, did a strip tease and offered myself for T-90 form. I just put my body out there," she explained, and then in a more hushed and teasing tone, she whispered,

"It was up to him to think whatever he wished of it." She leaned in close, her arm bracing herself against the table. Her umber hair fell lightly across her shoulders as she tilted up her head. Her eyebrows arched and her full lips smiled surreptitiously. Percy felt heat rush to his face as she leaned in closer, and tried to shake his head to pull himself out of it.

"You shouldn't say things like that to men when you look like…well, it really isn't fair," he muttered.

"Why Mr. Weasley, are you blushing?" she asked in the same sultry tone. Indeed, at this statement he felt himself flush harder, and it took every last ounce of strength for him to compose himself.

"Just put those away before someone gets hurt," he laughed, turning away. Audrey stood with a smile, placing her hand on her hips and shrugging her shoulders up into her luscious hair.

"Anything you say. You're the boss."

Percy let out a deep sigh at this comment and buried his face in his hands. Audrey clapped and started to double over in laughter. She grabbed her coat off her seat and wrapped it around her body fully before tucking herself into the arm chair.

"I'm sorry!" she spurted out between fits of laughter. Percy moved his hands from his face and into his hair, causing it to spike lightly with frustration.

"It's not funny," he said clearly, smiling none the less. Audrey tried biting her lip to mute the laughter, but was unsuccessful.

"It's a little funny," she egged on, using her thumb and index finger to measure out the small amount.

"I'm serious. You could have given that man a heart attack." This clearly was the wrong thing to say to get her to stop, as the image of the detested man going into arrest over Audrey's ruse was enough to cause him to laugh right alongside her.

"I know it isn't the proper thing to have done," she admitted, wiping a tear away from her eye, "but it is ridiculously fun. And I promise you I only use my power for good and the occasional free drink."

"Well that's reassuring, and I thank you on behalf of my sex that you contain yourself."

"Oh don't worry, even when I do stoop low enough to use sex appeal to get something I want, I don't lay it on nearly as thick as I just did. I'm far more subtle than that."

_Far more subtle._ The exact words Cordelia had used about her this morning coming from Audrey's own mouth. It was a sobering thought that pulled him out of the playful atmosphere. Fortunately by now he really was over the things Cordelia has said to bother him. Audrey was something nice he had in his life and he was tired of having his paranoia ruin his relationships as it had done in the past. As the two settled into work, unwrapping and sorting through the other items on his desk, he counted himself lucky that in spite of past mistakes he was still more or less on track with his life, both professionally and socially. He felt more determined than ever to keep himself in the right direction and enjoy what he had in his life.

And he felt he could have been successful at this if it weren't for the image of Audrey's sexy pose filtering into his thoughts as he tried to work. He found himself wondering how soft her skin felt and the different ways he could test that. His hands twitched at the thought of themselves slowly traveling up her outer thigh and disappearing into the folds of her skirt. The bare base of her neck seemed to call out to him, and he wanted to taste the salt of her skin as they pressed their bodies together. Most of all, he wanted to hear her say his name again in that hushed and lustful tone, and the desire alone was enough to make his ears burn.

A stirring sound from his side was enough to pull him away from his thoughts. During the lull of activity the lack of sleep seemed to once again catch up to her, and Audrey had moved to tuck her legs into her lobby-stolen arm chair, and curled up into a more comfortable position. She looked innocent enough with her eyes closed that he began to feel guilty about his lustful thoughts, and the moan that escaped her throat as she buried her head into the side of the chair didn't help.

"Hey," she said sleepily, giving him a sweet smile, "you think I could convince you to let me go home early so I could get some sleep?"

"_I could think of a few ways to be convinced,"_ he said internally.

"I see no harm in that," he replied outwardly. "You may go home now if you wish." Audrey yawned and stretched.

"Nah, I better stick around a bit longer in case you need me," she teased. Percy nodded.

"Alright, well why don't we take this to storage and sort it out, and you can see how you feel after that," he suggested. Audrey popped out of her seat and stretched again. She walked around the desk to start putting the objects in easy to carry piles as Percy got the paper work in order.

"Ooops!" she cried. Percy turned to watch several of the bottles of Glaze roll towards him as they slipped from Audrey's grasp. He jerked away in enough time to avoid one of the heavy objects from crashing on his foot as they fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry! I just didn't have a good grip on them and they're so heavy!" she apologized, moving to rush to his side of the table to pick the bottles up.

"Don't worry about it, I got it," he assured, grabbing the couple vials that had fallen to the floor.

"I'm just still a little out of it today, slow reaction time," she said.

"I understand. Why don't I just carry all the stuff back," he suggested, dumping the Glaze unceremoniously into the box. "In fact, let's do this. Wingardium Leviosa!" With his wand pointed at the parcels on his desk they began to levitate into the air, waiting patiently for further guidance.

"See, now no one has to carry them," he grinned. Audrey grabbed her bag and smiled, and the two of them made it out of the office down the narrow corridor. As they got closer to the storage compartments he wondered why he didn't think of using the charm in the first place instead of having had carried them half way through the Ministry like he had done earlier that morning. He was still in contemplation over this as they rounded the corner when the load of parcels crashed into another stack of floating objects controlled by a man with wand in one hand, and the arm of Mundungus Fletcher in the other.

"Watch it then!" Dung yelled, struggling to get out of his captor's strong hold, "what's wiv you trying to ruin all me stuff, eh?" The man holding his arm laughed.

"So it is your stuff then? Didn't you just spend the last hour trying to convince me you didn't know how all these highly suspicious artifacts came into your person?" he asked. Dung cursed angrily, kicking at the mixed parcels as Percy and Audrey went to sort through them.

"I oughta wrangle you for this Weasley!" Dung cried. The broad man holding his arm shook him hard before pushing him to his knees.

"Why don't you stop threatening and help _Mr._ Weasley and the young lady out? Then maybe I can convince your prosecutors to let you pay a massive fine for breaking your parole instead of serving a few years in Azkaban, based off good behavior," the man said severely. Dung grumbled and reached across to help sort the mess.

"Ouch!" Audrey cried a few moments later, reactively bringing her finger into her mouth. The three men paused from their sorting to watch her, and Percy noticed a near invisible shard of glass sticking out of one of Dung's packages, dripping with a stream of blood.

"You alright?" Percy asked, gently grabbing her wrist in order to take a closer look at her finger. The cut was fairly deep and blood continued to flow out from it. Audrey pulled her hand back, cradling her wound.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. But I think maybe I should just leave, I'm starting to sense a pattern and who knows what other mess I'll make if I don't lie down."

"Get some rest," he agreed, climbing to his feet and stretching out his arm to help her up. Holding her finger gently in her hand she scooped her fallen items into her bag and smiled.

"Thanks. You still picking me up tomorrow night for the Ball?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll be there at 8pm sharp," he replied with a smile.

"Oh, you might want to get there a bit earlier to avoid Mrs. Ainsley," she suggested as she started making her way down the hall.

"7:30 it is," he shouted down to her, giving her a wave goodbye before returning to his mess.

"Sorry about running into you there, Perce. I was a little preoccupied with the scum bag," the broad shouldered man said friendly, motioning over to the still scrambling Dung.

"I heard that, ya gorilla git," Dung muttered as he picked up all of his stolen items and left Percy's on the floor.

"No problem, Seeley. Good luck with your incarceration!" Percy replied as they shook hands, ignoring Dung's mutterings. Seeley gave a friendly smile before roughly grabbing the thief buy the nape of his neck and dragging him down the hall, muttering threats in Dung's ears of what would happen to him if he tried anything fishy. Percy shook his head, now finding himself alone with his parcels. He took a few moments to reflect upon the day he had, from the early morning treat of finding himself in the lead in the competition and feeling secure in his work place, to Cordelia's taunts and his total melt down, over to picking himself back up and reaffirming his faith in Audrey's character, the playful brotherly moment he shared with George, and his lustful fantasies he knew were inappropriate and deciding he didn't care. Yes, it had already been a long day. Upon glancing at his watch and seeing it was time for lunch, he toyed with the idea that maybe for once he too should leave early, seeing as how stressful and extensive the day had already been. Laughing at his joke, he reached down to pick up his pile, feeling it would be very lazy of him to use magic when the door was just a few meters down the hall.

"_Funny_," he thought as he shifted the parcels about easily in his hold, "_I remember these boxes being much heavier."_

(A/N: Thanks for braving through the few days between chapters. My grammar can always stray a bit so I have my best friend Blair read through it for me, and as much as she loves my story she too has a life. I know I have been teasing you guys on and on about Audrey but a lot will be answered in the next few chapters. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and I'll try to update soon, but odds are it will be another long chapter.)


	12. Four Left Feet

After wiping away the layer of condensation formed by the copious amounts of billowing steam obstructing the bathroom mirror, Percy was met with an irritated reflection. Though normally efficient in altering a foul mood, no shower, no matter how scorching nor long of duration, could pacify the internal spasms of agitation that had been brought on by events from the previous afternoon. Though he had been certain before taking his excessive bath that it would not take his problems away, it intensified his frustration that it had done nothing to soothe his psyche. Scrubbing his face and hair roughly with his cotton towel, he abandoned the hope that a make shift sauna would elevate his mood and left his bathroom for his bedroom without drying the rest of his body properly.

For once ignoring the possible hazards of damp materials, Percy dropped his used towel on his hardwood floor and threw himself onto the comfort of his bed. The soft, cool feel of his sheets was admittedly somewhat soothing against his bare skin, and as he closed his eyes, he felt he might finally be able to reflect upon yesterday's events with some composure.

When he had reached the storage closet alone and opened up the box containing what Audrey had called Delphinium Glaze, he had found that one of the rare and dangerous bottles was missing. With a cry of rage, he had leapt out of the storage closet, scraping his head against the low ceiling, and scrambled out into the corridor. Taking the most traveled path to the lifts, Percy had searched diligently for the tall figure of Seeley Boreanaz. However once he had turned the corner to the lobby, he was met with a penetrating darkness. He heard people shuffling and screaming, shouting light and fire spells to no avail. Percy had recognized the effects of the Peruvian Instant Darkness powder and knew of the futility of any Old World magic to pierce through. Luckily, he knew the importer of the product quite well, and had happened to be around the store when George discovered the foreign spell that cut through the impenetrable darkness

"K'anchay!" Percy had yelled in Quechua, an ancient Incan. As it had done that day at the shop, all the darkness seemed to be sucked into Percy's wand. Twenty or so people were crouched on the floor in a daze, but Percy's eyes were immediately fixated on the sprawled body of Seeley stirring on the floor. By the time Percy had reached his friend, Seeley was back on his feet, a large gash on his head and a fearsome look of fury on his face. Mundungus Fletcher had escaped.

The two of them were able to piece the story together. The shard of glass Audrey had cut her finger on had come from a jar containing the powder. Fletcher must have used the few moments attention had been on her to scoop up the spilled contraband, along with whatever else he could pilfer, such as Percy's Glaze. When Seeley had released his grip on Fletcher to summon the lift, the thief had thrown the powder in the air, knocked Seeley hard into the wall, and jumped safely into the lift before anyone could realize what had happened. Seeley and Percy had then rushed to the Ministry exits to stop him, but it was too late; he had already left the premises and vanished.

Seeley's office had sent other agents out looking for Dung as they questioned both him and Percy about the incidents. Both stories checked out, and seeing as how Mundungus Fletcher had managed to elude over half the Ministry at one point in time, Seeley was not placed under Inquiry, though it nevertheless left a black mark on his impeccable record.

Percy had had to alert Weiss and Grumman about the theft, and they too placed little blame on him; but the competition was still more than half way over, and with only a month left until the end of the quarter, it was dangerous to have his status shadowed by these events. He and Seeley both shared an anger towards the man who had endangered their careers, and they had made a pact to find him.

Still haunted by the looks of disappointment Weiss and Grumman held upon hearing the news, Percy peeled the sheets off legs and walked determinedly to his armoire. With precious time left to assert himself, he felt more determined than ever to make a good lasting impression, and what better place to do that then at the Ministry Midsummer's Night Ball?

He opened the cracked wooden door of his armoire and leaned against it gently. Though he already knew exactly what robes he would wear for the night, he still found himself staring at his selection as though he had a decision to make. He knew he was over reacting about the whole situation; he knew that he was not in trouble and Dung would eventually be found. Still, it was always irritating to have something stolen from you, especially something that was so rare and dangerous; but, then again Percy was fairly certain the man had no clue what he had taken, so there was no immediate threat. Yet, even after accepting these facts, he was continually plagued by thoughts over the day's events. Something felt very off, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, and it was this nagging sensation that prolonged his foul mood.

A slight chill tore him from his thoughts as his drafty flat got the best of his bare body, and he turned to focus on dressing himself. He took the robes out gently and hung them on the open door; he made sure not to wrinkle them as he slid them on and took great care to ensure everything was secured properly. Far from making him feel empowered the way a good suit should, his dress robes always made Percy feel nervous. He had set aside wages for a year to get a tailored outfit, as he knew it to be important for his career. They fit him well, were comfortable, and the deep olive flecks of green that were blended into the dark fabric accentuated his eyes (or at least that was what the seamstress who helped pick out the fabric said; Percy would never have used that as a decision factor on his own). What made him antsy about the robes were that they were quite frankly the most expensive things he had ever owned, and having grown up wearing either Bill's hand-me-downs or clothes from second hand shops, he felt an added pressure on top of all the other worries of the night not to mess them up.

He stared at his tall, lithe body now clad with his robes and dress shoes against the full length mirror. He fidgeted lightly with the dry curls of his hair, and took solace in the fact that they for once had decided to behave themselves and laid properly without much coaxing. Giving a sigh, he grabbed the invitations he had tucked into the corner of the mirror and watched the gilded letters sparkle.

"Here goes everything."

__________________________________________________________________

Percy walked quickly and with purpose down the crowded streets of Audrey's neighborhood. The place was on the lower end of the Muggle economic scale, and Percy's expensive Wizard's dress robes clearly marked him out of place. Though he felt a few stares and received a second look or two, he was not bothered on the three block walk to the flat and arrived without incident.

The moment he pulled open the thick wooden doors to the building, he heard the scraping noise of claws as a small animal scrambled to reach the entrance way. Percy moved quickly towards the steps but was intercepted by the white haired dog that was followed by a squat white haired woman. They both wore matching blue bows.

Percy froze as the landlady collected her dog, taking a long time to study Percy's dress and stature. He wondered exactly what rights a Muggle landlady had over her residents, and if he could actually be removed before notifying Audrey he was there. Not that it would be a particular hindrance with magic on their side, but it would further his irritation. Luckily, the woman merely collected her dog and shuffled back to her dwelling.

"Well, he is rather high and mighty looking, isn't he Muff?" she whispered loudly on her way out. He shook his head at the level of obnoxiousness the woman emanated, and took Audrey's old advice to ignore anything she said as he made his way up the stairs. As he climbed the four stories to her flat he felt his agitation increasing. How on Earth was he going to be charming and make good impressions when he felt so irritable? He knocked on Audrey's door and waited for her to answer. He felt as though nothing could change his mood.

After a few passing moments he finally heard Audrey at the door. She opened it with a jerk and stood inside defiantly. Her hair was nicely pressed but she was still in her purple cotton bath robe. Her eyes were slightly red and her skin a tad blotchy, as though she had been crying. Upon recognizing Percy standing in her hallway, her aggressive demeanor shrank and she pulled the door back gently.

"Percy," she said, sounding both meek and grateful as she smiled brightly. "I should have known you'd be early."

"And I should have known you'd be late," he bantered back, though his tone was full of concern.

"Oh, right," she replied absentmindedly, looking down at her bathrobe and bare feet. "I'm nearly done, come in and have a seat." She turned away quickly and led him through the kitchen into the living room. She motioned to the sofa for him to sit before muttering something about finishing up and moving towards her bedroom.

"Audrey?" he called out, stepping towards her and placing a hand gently on her retreating shoulder. "What's the matter?" She pivoted on her foot to face him without knocking off his hand.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing really," she mumbled with a smile. "I just got sidetracked and didn't realize it was so late! But I'll be out in no time, I promise. I'll even leave the door open a crack so we can talk."

It was obvious that she was lying about being upset, yet it was clear too that whatever it was she did not want to talk about. He gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze before letting her go, and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Take your time, it's really not that late. You know my obnoxious habit of being early."

Audrey flashed her first non-forced smile of the evening and looked visibly more relaxed as she slipped into her room. Percy shoved his hands deep into his robes and sauntered over to the couch.

The flat was much tidier then it had been last time. All the clothes had been picked up and there were hardly any papers strewn about. As he took his seat on the sofa he noticed something else different. On her scrubbed coffee table on an over elaborate platform sat a large crimson ball he recognized as a Quaffle. Upon closer inspection he noticed a hastily scribbled silver inscription:

"The winning ball from you're winning man – Maxwell"

Percy dropped the ball back on to the platform in disgust. What a pompous idiotic thing to write. He couldn't even be grammatically correct, let alone say something romantic in this self congratulating gesture. Percy wondered, if he had been an athlete during his worst stage of prattishness would he have done such a thing, but he believed even then he could have seen the tactlessness in the gift.

Annoyed once again, he turned the game ball away so he didn't have to see the "love note". Percy then noticed the coffee mug that had been stuffed with a still ashing cigar. He recognized the tobacco as one of the disturbing smells that had covered Audrey yesterday when she had come straight to work from the pub. It appeared Max had just left, and in a hurry too, as he had left half of his disgusting habit behind. It suddenly wasn't quite as mysterious to imagine what might be upsetting her.

"You doing alright out there? You're being awfully quiet," Audrey shouted from her room.

"I'm fine, just admiring how different your flat looks clean," he said quickly, with a joking edge.

"Yeah, your 'it looked like I had been robbed' comment sort of got to me, so I figured I should be a bit more organized."

Percy grinned to himself as he got off the couch and moved into the uncluttered kitchen.

"Well, you did a good job," he said, turning slowly to look at the whole apartment, "it's good to know you actually listen-" His words cut themselves off as he found himself facing Audrey as she stood in her bedroom doorway. Her face bore its normal good natured smirk it held when he was being intentionally thick headed. The look was nothing new, in fact he enjoyed her raised eyebrows and head shake so much he often made a prat of himself just to receive it. Yes, the look he had been expecting. How she looked however, he was not.

Her hair, which normally sat in a tangled mess of loose curls on top of her head, was smoothed back and tied up, the extra length falling gracefully around the left side of her neck. She wore a knee-length dress of an enchanting deep plum and indigo. It had thin straps and an elegant neckline that accentuated the fine shapely structure of her chest and shoulders. It hugged her torso gently, once again showing off her curves, but subtly. After passing her waist line, the fabric flowed out softly into a lightly textured skirt. The small amount of extra cloth gave the dress the swirling effect of smoke, especially when it swished slightly as she walked forward.__

"Percy?" she asked with a laugh. Percy found himself snapping to attention, and he vaguely noticed her inflection carried a tone of having repeated itself.

"Sorry!" he replied, a tad louder then he intended. "Sorry, I just got… I mean you look… you look so…"

"You look pretty handsome yourself," she said lightly, pushing through Percy's jumbled mess of words. "Those robes make your eyes so green."

"Yeah, well, that's why I got them," he stuttered out clumsily. Feeling like the world's largest idiot, he closed his mouth and shut his eyes, praying the withdrawal of some of his senses would help to compose himself.

"Once again you seem so shocked!" he heard her say. "You make it seem like I never dress nicely."

"It's not that," he assured, finally finding some words. "It's just the past day or so has been pretty rough, so much so that I actually forgot that we were going to something so formal. I was just caught off guard by how enchanting you look, especially when placed up against the mess that has been cluttered around life recently." Audrey beamed and stepped closer to him, close enough to where he felt slightly intoxicated by her scent.

"I knew that large brain of yours could eventually hold an adjective. I always had faith in you." Percy chuckled at her tease and instantly felt better.

"You really do look amazing," he stressed, taking her hand and lifting it up to help her twirl around so he could see the back as well.

"I had hoped you would like it," she exclaimed with a giggle as she let herself be spun. "It was such a pain to make."

"You made this dress?" he asked incredulously, stopping her in front of him.

"Yeah. You think I can afford to buy something nice enough for a party like this? And actually, I have you to thank for the inspiration," she beamed.

"Me? How do you mean?" he asked quizzically. Keeping her smile, she backed away and started swishing her dress lightly back and forth like a bell.

"What does this shape and color remind you of?" she hinted as she continued her soft movements. Percy stood back, eyebrows knitted slightly as he thought about what she might mean. He watched her fluid movement and was reminded of how on first glance he thought of the effects of her walking made it look like the fabric swirled like smoke. From that thought he was taken back to weeks earlier when they had first started working together, and a similar purple object that looked and moved like her.

"The Sueño potion?" he stated incredulously. She nodded happily and continued her playful movements. "You modeled your dress after something I nearly killed you with?"

"Gee whiz, Percy. You make it sound so negative when you put it that way," she laughed, circling around him in a dance. "You remember how pretty the colors were and how shapely the bottle was? Who cares what else it did?" She shrugged off Percy's comment and continued to float dreamily around her flat until Percy finally laughed.

"I swear I can't figure it out. You are either a genius or insane, and I'm never sure of which," he chuckled.

"That's because I'm a bit of both!" she declared, landing delicately in front of him after leaping across the room. She bit in her lip as she thought more before exclaiming further sentiment. "I'm _In_Genius."

Percy laughed at her pun and stuck out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion for her to grab.

"That you are."

_________________________________________________________________________

Percy and Audrey stood awestruck as the large, elegant palace finally came into view. They had walked in a comfortable and excited silence through the decorative and expansive grounds, admiring the unique plant life and well lit fountains that dotted the terrain. It was quite an enchanting garden, and though the two of them were more than familiar with the precise charms and techniques used to create such an effect, they were none the less taken in by the seemingly natural beauty.

In contrast, the vast and intimidating grand palace removed the couple from the air of charming seclusion to feeling alone in a more foreboding sense. The palace was built out of warm sandstone and was elegantly carved to amazing detail. It was geometrically and architecturally beautiful, and every pillar and arch was perfectly and purposefully placed. He couldn't help but compare it to his childhood home, how its structure was simple and haphazardly built upon by necessity of his bourgeoning family. Though Percy always preferred order and preciseness over chaos, the seemingly flawlessness of the building seemed unnatural to him, and he quite frankly felt it lacked any real charm.

As daunting as the building was, the palace took a back seat to the spectacle in front of it. A mass of well dressed and highly self important men and women congregated out on the grounds before making their way inside. Women wore extravagant fashions and were decorated with jewels of every cut, style and color. Men stood proudly around their lavish carriages, lazily pointing to the latest designs in hopes of making another awed. Servants of the palace led away harnessed creatures from foreign lands Percy only recognized from books. He suddenly felt quite aware that he and Audrey were one of the few couples who had arrived on foot, as they had no pomp and circumstance to promote.

Audrey too seemed to have noticed this, and as the sound of one of the strange and majestic creatures filled the air, she grasped his hand nervously. Percy looked down at their entwined fingers with some amazement. He was so used to seeing Audrey with an easy going confidence that it never crossed his mind to think that the grandiose scene in front of them would be intimidating to her as well. As she sheepishly smiled at acting on her impulse and slowly pulled her hand away, he recognized that she too came from a fairly modest background, and such a sight could be intimidating to anyone.

Determined to pull up both their fallen spirits, he nudged her gently with his elbow and gave a friendly smile. "You ready for this?" he asked excitedly.

"I'm not quite sure anymore," she responded truthfully. Percy shrugged off her comment with a smile.

"Nonsense, it'll be a piece of cauldron cake. I mean, they're only people."

"Yeah, but they're the kind of people who run the world and reap the riches. Did you see the sapphire on that woman's necklace? It was bigger than my fist. I suddenly feel stupidly and simply underdressed." She ran her hands down her dress thoroughly, as though searching for some hidden compartment she had forgotten about that would make her dress more fashionable.

"Are you kidding me?" he demanded seriously, causing her to stop fidgeting with her apparel and simple necklace. "You quite literally left me speechless this evening with how beautiful you look, and you know how big of a feat _that_ is." This caused Audrey to smile and blush slightly, and feeling as though he were on the right track, he continued.

"Most of those women in there are so glammed up because they have nothing else to offer. You however, are a charm all within yourself, and anyone who talks to you tonight will instantly fall in love with you."

"You know, Percy, you are absolutely right," she agreed, her voice now full of her normal confidence.

"I always am," he responded. "And I need you to be on your game tonight because I need that charm of yours to make me noticed so I can come off looking good."

"Why, whatever do you mean?" she teased. "You make a very marvelous third impression."

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "That's what I mean. I need to go in there and win some people over with my charming personality after you lure them in with your elegant and lady like behavior."

"Hey!" she yelled, pushing him after taking offense. "I can be lady like and proper. I can proper my arse off, just you wait." She glared boldly for a moment before giving him a sly smile.

"Merlin help us," Percy muttered, shaking his head. He once again offered her his arm so they could make their way to the ball. She took it gently and the two stood and stared at another for a moment, drinking in each other's confidence. Percy nodded his head curtly and did his best to look assured.

"Alright darling, let us show these self pretentious a-holes what a couple of poor kids can do, shall we?"

Audrey smiled vibrantly "Yes, we shall."

______________________________________________________________________

The two made their way into the crowd, both chewing back on their nerves as they began to mix with the impressive group. Percy recognized important statesmen from his days working with Crouch talking to well dressed men who weren't as public of figures. These men, Percy presumed, were the owners of large companies and other businesses that ruled the world. These powerful men were what Percy liked the least about working for the Ministry. They had privately made or inherited fortunes and were hardly accountable to anyone. While politicians and their staff had to follow guidelines placed by their constituents, these men could slip in and out of the system, dropping off money and taking privileges that would otherwise be denied. It was a necessary evil when working in the government, and though the gold donated could often go to good use, it was still irksome to know that with the right amount of wealth, one could rise above the law.

This feeling intensified as they neared the entrance and Percy espied two men lavishly dressed right outside the door. Though a generation apart, they looked strikingly similar as both had white blonde hair, hauntingly pale complexions, and the same haughty smirk upon their fine featured face.

"It disgusts me that even with Shacklebolt as Minister, and all they did under Voldermort, the Malfoy's were still able to buy their way out of prison," he grumbled into her ear. Audrey, who had been looking with a mixture of confusion and amazement at a witch's excruciatingly extravagant dress, turned her head to face the father and son before them. Her expression momentarily turned into an annoyed scowl at the sight before she forced herself to shake it off.

"Yeah, but the money they gave single handedly rebuilt Hogwarts, and went to retributions to families who lost so much during the war," she reminded.

"As it should, seeing as they and their lot were the ones who destroyed those things. I don't care if they turned away at the last moment, they should be rotting in a cell in Azkaban with all their gold taken away."

"Only to be let out to work Muggle soup kitchens or pick up rubbish off their highways," Audrey agreed with a giggle. Percy couldn't help but grin at the image of Lucius and Draco clad in those orange jumpsuits he had seen Muggle criminals wear as they stood in a pile of food wrappers and cigarette butts. The thought at least made him feel strong enough to walk past them with his head held high.

As they approached the door, it was Draco who was the first to notice them, followed quickly by his father. Lucius whispered something into his son's ear which upon completion left them both wearing an eased look of contempt. However as they came closer, Percy noticed something more than disdain in the young Malfoy's gaze. Draco's pale eyes flicked over Audrey's figure more than once, and Percy became enraged as he recognized a shameless lust in the stare.

Percy felt Audrey wrap her arm around his tighter as she slid even closer to his side. At first he thought she was nervous under Draco's piercing fixation, and he pulled her in as close as he could in order to shield her away. Upon meeting her face however, he saw a cocky and playful inflection in her features. She stood up slightly on her tip toes to whisper intimately in his ear as they passed.

"I think, had he had the full chance, your father would have pummeled Lucius in a fist fight."

Percy's face filled with a smile at the comment and the memory of the scuffle in Flourish and Blotts six years earlier. Fully aware that Draco's attention still lay upon the couple, Percy leaned forward and nuzzled in close.

"I agree." The two walked into the palace with a laugh, and Percy was able to catch a glimpse of envy flash across Malfoy's face before it contorted back into its usual indifference. Percy felt there was no better boost of confidence then the knowledge that something a Malfoy desired was draped so comfortably over his own arm.

As was to be expected, the ball room was lavish in its elegance. The room was as large as the Great Hall back at school, but much more open with windowed doors leading out to an expansive balcony overlooking a graceful lake. Tables covered in fine lace linens bordered the walls and dance floor, filled with crystal goblets and china plates that held an extensive amount of fine food. The ball room floor was open and already catering to couples dancing to the chamber orchestra elevated on a stage. Drinking in the sight, Percy and Audrey stood at the top of the staircase before descending down on to the scene.

"Now, I know this is a party, but remember, this is an important work function for us and we have to act accordingly," Percy reminded, watching her already starting to sway to the music.

"I know, I know. Me: arm candy; you: impress contacts," she said dismissively, watching the partners on the dance floor excitedly. "But that still doesn't mean we can't have fun. You know, enjoy the free drinks, eat the fancy food, tear it up on the dance floor, eh?" She nudged him expressively while nodding with a big open smile on her face.

"Now Audrey, there is a time a place for everything," he instructed sternly.

"Oh, how silly of me to expect dancing at a ball!" she bantered, clasping her face lightly. Percy shook his head. "Oh, I promise I'll be good, but you have to at least _try _and have some fun. Please! For me?" She grinned playfully and tugged on his arm until he smiled.

"Fine, I'll try," he conceded, "but no assurances."

"I'll take what I can get!" she replied happily, looping her arm in his. Feeling as confident as he felt he could, given the situation, he led them steadfastly down the stairs. While some of the richer and grander couples had themselves announced upon producing their invites and entering the dance floor, Percy and Audrey slipped down unnoticed. Once on the ground level, surrounded by the majority of the party goers, Percy felt silly for feeling so intimidated by the rich. Within seconds he had heard enough vapid conversations to last him the night, and as he never held much respect for frivolity, he felt no need to worry about impressing them.

Statesmen, on the other hand, were a different matter. Though some politicians were rich, there was something about a real leader that subtly commanded respect that Percy was mesmerized with. At first he assumed anyone placed into a strong position of power was a good leader, which is why he stood so firmly behind men like Crouch and Fudge. Over the past few years however, he began to understand and appreciate the qualities that made one strong. Shacklebolt was an obvious example, as his impressive stature mirrored his strong yet democratic form of leadership. Then there were men like Grumman and his father, who trusted in people to use their talents to the best of their abilities so ardently that one felt ashamed at giving anything less than their best. A good mixture of strong and subtle leadership was exactly what Percy thought the Ministry needed to return to its full and rightful power, and as he and Audrey were waved over to a group of men by Mr. Weiss, Percy hoped he had the stuff to one day do just that.

Though Percy recognized most of the people in the group, unfortunately including Smith (who proved to be obnoxious enough not to receive a date even to so great an event and had Ascolese in tow), his eye was immediately drawn to new man next to Weiss. He wore very sharp high fashioned dress robes and managed to look very clean despite the light growth of well maintained facial hair. He stood very elegantly with a thin flute of champagne, and though he kept a friendly smile on his face, the look in his eyes seemed slightly bored.

"Weasley, good to see you, there are some people I'd like you to meet," Weiss said gruffly, cutting off an excited but seemingly rambling Smith. "This is Marcelo Oliveira, head of the Portuguese International Magical Cooperation. Portugal has been very generous and helpful in our rebuilding, and is one of England's tightest modern allies. This is Percival Weasley, the other hopeful replacement, and his assistant Ms. Larrabee." While introducing the parties, Weiss spoke more animatedly and robustly then Percy had ever heard, and he noticed the large, mostly empty goblet of bourbon clutched in the old man's red hand. Oliveira turned to both of them and stuck out his hand towards Percy to shake, the same slightly apathetic expression still caught in his eyes.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Weasley," Oliveira said with a light accent. Percy took a deep breath, deciding to take a calculated risk.

"Prazer em conhecê-lo, Senhor Oliveira," Percy replied, matching Oliveira's greeting in his best Portuguese. The man's eyes suddenly flickered with some interest and peered at Percy as though resizing him.

"You said that very convincingly," Oliveira commented bluntly, "Você fala português?"

"Falo um pouco," Percy admitted with a nice smile, using his fingers to show how little of the language he spoke. "I've been working on broadening my foreign language knowledge, but I've ensured that I can at least give greetings in most."

"That is very impressive," Oliveira conceded. "It is important to be multilingual in the International office, and any effort used goes a long way. It is much better then say, oh, trying to speak to a native son of Lisbon in Spanish." The man's hazel eyes flickered violently over to Carmen Smith, who stood on the other side of the circle with rosy cheeks. Oliveira looked Percy up and down once more, giving a brisk yet civil nod to the pair, before turning back to converse with other high ranking officials. Percy felt inordinately pleased with himself that not only had he managed to impress a man very crucial to the position he sought, but that he did it so well and in front of Weiss, who though slight inebriated, was bound to take notice.

Percy turned to face Audrey, who looked at him with her mouth slightly hung open.

"What?" he asked skeptically, unsure of her bewilderment. Her lips closed and contorted into a tucked in smile.

"You know how sometimes I can be a bit of a brat when it comes to doing the things you ask when I think you're being a nutter?"

"Yeah..." he replied slowly, not sure how this connected with anything. Her smile grew.

"Well next time, just speak to me in Portuguese. I'm sure any saying will do," she finished candidly. Percy stared at her for a moment before he comprehended what she meant. Then a large smile filled his face.

"So you like it when I speak Portuguese?" he asked cockily, moving in closer so he could speak in a loud whisper. "Um pouquinho?"

Audrey let out a happy purr of a noise that originated deep in her throat. "Um pouquinho," she responded, biting her lip as she smiled. They both shared in a friendly laugh as she threaded her arm around his so they could go off and find their table. As they caught sight of Grumman sitting alone at one of the set-ups near the balcony, Percy made a mental note to pull out his language books from his trunks when he got home.

By the time they approached the table, Grumman had been joined by a woman in a pretty gold dress bringing the two of them drinks. Percy was pleased to see that it was Valencia, who had done good job at hiding the tired circles under her eyes and looked bright and youthful. Grumman, on the other hand, looked quite out of sorts. He had taken off his jacket and tossed it haphazardly over his chair. He sat in a brooding position, chin rested upon an open palm. He looked off into the distance, occasionally snorting forcefully, causing the hair of his salt-and-pepper mustache to blow forward.

"What's the matter?" Audrey asked when Grumman only gave a soft thank you to Valencia for the drinks in an apologetic tone. Grumman acknowledged the pair with a slight nod, though he kept his eye contact at a spot on the floor. Valencia rubbed his shoulders as she looked at him concernedly.

"His ex-wife and her family are here, and it's placed him in a bit of a foul mood," she explained sorrowfully. Percy felt a twinge of sympathy for Val, thinking it would feel off putting for one's date to be so emotionally thrown by the mere presence of an ex. He turned to face Audrey, hoping that not only would she share in the sentiment, but that she would find a good way to call Grumman out on it and set things right. Instead he found her intently staring at Grumman, her face stoic. Grumman's gaze had moved from the floor to her eyes, and they stood locked as though having a nonverbal conversation. Finally, she broke the connection and patted Grumman's shoulder with a smile.

"You really shouldn't worry, I'm sure they'll behave themselves and stay away," she said cheerfully.

"But…" Grumman muttered, as though he wanted to put up a weak argument.

"I think you should spend less time worrying about them and more time focusing on how beautiful Val looks in that dress, right Percy?" She nudged his side lightly with her elbow as further cue to agree.

"Absolutely," he said without missing a beat, regardless of how clueless he felt in the situation. Grumman turned to look up to Valencia who smiled at him with a great fondness. His eyes stayed on her face as though staring at a welcoming light after being trapped in a fog. He rose slowly from his seat and stood in front of her.

"You're right. I'm so sorry for how I've been acting Valencia. Here I finally get the nerve to ask you to come with me and I spend the first half of the night sulking. I profusely apologize. Please forgive my rudeness and come dance with me?" he asked earnestly. Valencia smiled brilliantly.

"Yes," she replied, giving a giggle as he took her hand and led her to the open dance floor. Grumman turned to give Audrey one last look of gratitude before he wrapped his arm around his date tightly as they got into position.

"They are such a cute couple," Audrey sighed, looking at the dancers longingly.

"Yes," Percy agreed, happy that the two had seemed to find each other and that conflict had been handled without incident.

"You know," Audrey began slyly, her gaze continually fixed on the ball room floor. "The dancing has really picked up…"

"No," he said firmly, quickly squashing any ideas she had. She bounced fussily at his side.

"Why not?" she whined. "Val and Grumman are dancing and they both work at the Ministry."

"Yes, but they already have secure jobs. We on the other hand, have to earn that," he reminded. Audrey's lip stuck out into a pout.

"Maybe I don't want a secure job, maybe I just want to dance," she muttered.

"Hey, none of that. We need to be positive. Maybe we can dance later; I just need more time," he bartered. Audrey exhaled an exasperated breath, the sound of which reminded Percy of steam being released out of a valve. She focused her eyes on his and kept up her display of mock annoyance until her breath ran out, the last few seconds ending in spurts as she tried to keep it going without laughing.

"Oh fine," she finally agreed. "But mark my words I will find a way to dance with you." Percy nodded silently, glad to once again have her attention focused on the job as she allowed him to lead her over to the nearest group of people.

Though all close together, the set up was fairly sex segregated. The men were all older than Percy, either slightly so or well into middle age. He knew enough of them from work to feel comfortable joining their party, and was quickly introduced to the members of foreign ministries. The groups of women around them were all presumably wives or girlfriends, as none of them worked at the Ministry and none were dressed up enough to be clumped in with the rich and famous. Though Audrey had been by Percy's side upon engaging the group, she had somehow been cut out of the main circle and pushed over to join the other women. Percy began to work his way over, trying to bring her back with him. Audrey, however, accepted the divide with a good natured shrug, and she motioned encouragingly for him to stay put as she joined the other women in their conversations.

Settling into his niche, Percy began discussing with the group. Some of them had fairly important posts within the Ministry, and he was slightly surprised as a lowly worker to be brought so thoroughly into their discussions. He began a civil yet lively debate defending his views on allowing the government to fall into a deficit in harsh times to kick start the economy. Soon the whole group had circled around the topic, and Percy was enthralled that the majority was on his side, congratulating him on what he had to say. It was such a fabulous rush that he was quite taken aback by the gentle hand he felt on his shoulder, drawing him out of his focus. It was Audrey, penetrating the group sheepishly as she called for Percy's attention.

"I think it's time for a drink. Would you like anything?"

Percy looked down at his watch and realized that he had been discussing politics for nearly an hour. He winced at the thought of having gone on that long without once looking over and seeing how she was doing. He keened his hearing over to the conversation the women she had been standing with were having. They were gossiping happily about a controversially dressed woman a few tables over. Not exactly the sort of topic he knew Audrey to enjoy.

"I'm sorry!" he stuttered in a whisper. "I lost track of time and…"

"Don't worry about it!" she said, grinning. "You're doing wonderfully; I've been listening. I'll go get us some drinks and see if maybe I can squeeze my way over to your side instead." She shot him one last smile before going off to the bar. He felt quite relieved that she wasn't mad. He got so easily caught up in things that interested him, work especially, that he knew he had a tendency to neglect social obligations. This fault had been a classic catalyst for a fight with Penelope.

He resumed his position back in his group, listening now more than talking. He scanned the sea of people for a friendly face for Audrey to talk to. He was obliged to small talk and mingle, but she wasn't, and he hoped to be able to provide something better for her than the continuous clucking of bored housewives.

Fate, however, seemed to have its own plans for Audrey's company. As he watched her holding the glasses of wine carefully while returning to the group, he saw a young man beeline towards her determinedly. It was Grant Ascolese, the quiet yet bumbling assistant of Smith's. Percy watched intently, breaking from his coworkers to get a better view of what was happening. Grant stopped Audrey suddenly in her path. She looked slightly confused at the action, appearing to think more along the lines that he had accidently bumped into her, rather than taking his movement as intentional. Having seen how blundering the boy worked over the past weeks, Percy found himself hoping for the same. Yet it became clear of Ascolese purposefulness when he continued to block her way, trying to segway casually into a conversation. Percy felt the heat creep up his neck as he saw Grant motion over to the dance floor. Without thinking, Percy let his feet carry him over quickly to the scene.

"You know, the music is really lovely," Grant commented, noting the shift from chamber orchestra to jazz band. As he spoke, he swiftly grabbed one of the wines out of Audrey's hands and sipped it coolly. A shocked expression covered her face as he drank, a look he mistook for delight.

"I've noticed you haven't gone dancing yet," he continued, speaking over Audrey's still flabbergasted silence. "That really ought to be rectified."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Percy said loudly, cutting in between the small space Grant had left between himself and Audrey. "You fancy a dance?"

It was now Grant's turned to be shocked. Unable to speak, the boy stood flapping his mouth like a fish out of water. Audrey however smiled happily and nodded. She handed the second glass of wine over to Grant without looking at him before taking Percy's hand.

"Hey!" Grant shouted, finally able to produce some sounds.

"You should really be careful of how much you drink," Percy said composedly. "Alcohol can have adverse effects on a young, still developing body."

"I'm eighteen!" Grant shouted, but quickly realized both that this was not an impressive thing to say in the current situation, and that the pair had already disappeared.

"Why, you're suddenly quite interested in dancing with me," Audrey said slyly as he sought out a spot on the floor.

"I was saving you," he replied firmly. "You didn't want to dance with that infant."

"Hey, there is the same age gap between him and me as there is between us," she reminded him.

"Well, you shouldn't be dancing with him anyways," he spat in irritation.

"And why not?" she inquired, barely containing a grin.

"Because… because it's fraternizing with the enemy is what it is." Audrey burst out laughing at his ridiculous statement, causing the heat to further spread to his neck and ears.

"Do you want to dance with me or not?" he demanded huffily over her fit. She stopped chuckling to look him in the eyes seriously.

"Of course I do. Percy, I've been trying to get you to dance with me all night! I just find it funny that it took the threat of… what did you call it?" she asked with a cute head tilt.

"Fraternization," he muttered sheepishly, causing her to laugh again. "I know, I've been a prat about it. But we're here now."

"Yes," she agreed as the music started up, "we're here now." The song was a safe waltz and Percy knowledgably placed his right hand just below her shoulder blade while his left hand held hers gently. Taking note of the rhythm and time, he kept the count as lead through the floor. He felt he was doing the dance properly, but after only a few moments Audrey stopped him.

"Percy, what are you thinking about?" she asked seriously.

"What?" he asked, taken aback by the forward question. She didn't budge.

"When you're dancing with me, what's going through your mind?" Percy wondered exactly what it was she wanted to hear as he stared blankly at her arched eyebrows. As she offered no hints, Percy could only say what truly went through his head.

"One, two, three, one, two, three? I was keeping the dance beat," he explained. Audrey nodded her head.

"That's what I was afraid of. Percy, you need to relax. This is just a friendly dance, you don't need to keep count or use perfect position. It's supposed to be fun!" she exclaimed.

"But… but I'm a clumsy dancer if I don't keep count," he stated, amazed at how quickly she read him.

"Yeah, we'll you're a lousy partner when you do," she retorted. "Come on, I'm not the most graceful of dancers either, but who are we trying to impress. We'll be two with four left feet." Percy hesitated momentarily, analyzing what she was saying. Then he came to the conclusion that she didn't want him to analyze at all. It was a strange concept for him. But upon looking at her earnest face and think of everything she had done for him tonight, he felt giving in was the least he could do.

So he nodded, dropping the hold he had on her hand. She grinned triumphantly and comfortably draped her arms around his neck. He let his hand fall from her shoulder blade slowly down to her hip. He felt her shudder lightly at his stroke, and her reaction caused him to let go of the last of his inhibition, and he snaked his hand right above her backside, so as to pull her closer.

"See?" she whispered softly, gulping slightly. "Isn't this more fun?" Percy smiled.

"Way more fun." And with that he turned them swiftly into the moving masses of dancers. They swung around each other, using one another as leverage to pick up speed. They laughed constantly, ignoring when the other stepped on their foot and pausing only to apologize for bumping against a wayward couple. They danced to several songs until one's rhythm left Percy so unsure of what to do he could only flail about spastically. His movements caused her to double over, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

"Alright, I think we're done," he remarked, going slightly red.

"I'm sorry," she responded through gasps of air, "but it looked sort of like you were having a seizer! It was great!"

"And now I know we're done," he said firmly, turning away from her to head back to the tables, doing his best to hide his grin. She caught up with him quickly, linking her arm with his as she followed.

"Don't be like that, you have no idea how much joy you just imparted to me," she explained through giggles.

"I'm never dancing with you again," he said offhandedly, chuckling himself as he tried to snub her. She gave him the most pitiful look she could, widening her eyes and pouting her lip slightly, and she continued to stare up at him pleadingly until he gave in. It only took a few seconds.

Arm wrapped around her waist, they walked back to their seats. Grumman and Valencia had also vacated the dance floor after a long romp, and their faces were bright and happy. Grumman's demeanor had changed dramatically from earlier in the evening, and he sat with his normal happy confidence, grinning as he held Valencia's hand under the table like a school boy. Weiss was quite cheerful, as nothing put the aging man in a better mood then an open bar, and he sat like a champion in front of his ever growing collection of empty glasses. Percy and Audrey took their seats happily, ready to partake in conversation, when they were joined by yet another figure. Kingsley Shacklebolt, returning from making rounds around the room, took the seat between Percy and Valencia gratefully, tired from all the hours of small talk and happy to sit comfortably amongst friends.

"You were right, Spiro," Kingsley growled softly, settling into his seat and grabbing his own glass of wine. "It is way more exhausting buttering up patrons then it ever was taking down dark wizards."

"And not nearly as exciting," Mr. Grumman completed, toasting in the Minister's direction. Kingsley nodded with a smile, and took a deep sip of wine before returning the glass to the table.

"Hello, Percy. Having a good time?" the Minister asked, clapping his back friendly.

"Yes, Minister, a very good time." Despite the fact that Kingsley had long been a friend of the family and that the two had worked closely together right after the fall of Voldermort, Percy could not help but act stiffly and formally around the Minister. He was after all, the highest and most respected figure in the Ministry. Luckily, Kingsley knew this about the Weasley son and worked around it.

"Well it is quite nice to see a Weasley here. I know your parents are out of town, but I think some of us were hoping Harry and your brother would have made it out tonight."

"Yes, well Harry has been fairly swamped with his Auror training, and Ron still tries to avoid any situation that requires him to wear dress robes." The Minister laughed heartily at Percy's comment and once again clapped him on the shoulder. Percy smiled at having been able to make Kingsley laugh, and Audrey squeezed his knee in encouragement. The Minister made quick work of the rest of his drink, placing it on the table with a firm clink.

"Well I'm quite done with standing around making idle chit chat. I quite believe it is time for some dancing. Spiro, mind if I steal your date for a few songs?"

"She doesn't mind at all," Valencia said quickly, placing down her own glass and standing before Mr. Grumman could even respond.

"Fiery! I love that in a woman," Kingsley laughed, taking Val's hand. She turned to smile at Grumman before leaving with the Minister. Grumman eyed them with amusement before shaking his head.

"Well, if she is to leave me so early in the relationship at least it was for the Minister," he joked. Audrey stood and cleared her dress.

"Come on, Mr. Grumman, let's make them jealous," she said with a grin, holding out her hand. Grumman smiled as he got up to accept her offer.

"Sorry Weasley, but it is quite the sin to keep such a gorgeous woman to yourself all night," Grumman explained to Percy. Percy agreed and waved merrily as they left for the floor. He watched them dance for awhile happily, enjoying watching her sway to the music while relishing in the memory of how wonderful it felt when he had gotten to dance with her.

A loud clanking sound stole his attention as Weiss unsuccessfully tried to get up from his seat. Percy moved towards him swiftly, helping him up and allowing the old man to lean against his body for support.

"Come on, Mr. Weiss. Why don't we find you a more comfortable seat?" Percy asked kindly.

"By the bar would be preferable, Weasley," he slurred, grabbing Percy's arm wobbly. The two walked from the dining tables over to the bigger arm chairs, passing the dancing couples as they walked by the floor. Audrey and Grumman whirled by and waved at the two of them before disappearing again in the mass.

"It's good to see you and Larrabee working so well together," Weiss said loudly. "Especially after such a rough start."

"Well, once I got passed all the feathers and nearly made her eternally unconscious, I found her quite enjoyable," Percy replied, dragging the man around the occupied seats.

"Ah yes, her and her ducks," Weiss laughed with a wheeze. "But I was talking more about _her _rough start. Terrible what happened. Hard file to read through without tearing up a bit." Percy stopped in his tracks and turned to face Weiss.

"Terrible? A file?" he repeated, trying to wrap his head around the words.

"Oh yes. Her family's personnel files were one of those I had to go through and revise. Terrible," he repeated, as he took an empty seat at an otherwise full table. Percy ignored the strange looks given and the questions asked in an Asian language he didn't bother trying to understand. He knelt by Weiss' side to look him in the face.

"What happened?" he whispered, "What did it say in her file?" Weiss rolled his head a bit, smiling before his chin dropped on his chest, answering Percy's inquiry with a snore. Percy tried shaking him back up, but to no avail.

Percy had long suspected there was more to Audrey's life then she had let on, there had to be. But he had never thought about it being something tragic. A ministry file? That was serious enough. But for Weiss to say it was terrible, after the decades he had spent going over some of the more awful cases? Something seriously wrong must have happened. Percy jumped to his feet, intending to fulfill the urge to go talk to her. He had no idea what he would do or even say when he got to Audrey, but the need to somehow help her was too overpowering to worry about semantics.

Unfortunately, the moment he turned to walk determinedly to the dance floor, he found his way blocked by quite possibly the last person on Earth he would want to talk to when he was upset. Cordelia stood in front of him, wearing a silky emerald dress, tightly fitted to show off her extremely thin body and sharp angled curves.

"Hello, Percival," she said with a slight sneer.

"Get out of my way, Cordelia," he snapped, "I don't want to have anything to do with you."

"I always did love the way you looked in that suit," she purred, ignoring his angry tone. "I also loved ripping it off of you."

"I'm glad to hear classy conversation is still the norm at such formal events as these," Audrey's voice said loudly from behind. She passed Cordelia without further acknowledgement and bent down to check on Mr. Weiss. Determining him well, she stood by Percy's side, holding his arm and stepping out in front of him slightly, as though forming a barrier.

"I should have known your pet wouldn't be too far off from her leash," Cordelia scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the contact.

"Green is not a flattering color on you," Audrey shot back firmly. Cordelia's eyes flashed momentarily, and Percy prepared himself to stop her from launching herself over in attack. Instead, Cordelia remained composed, taking her silver compact out of her bag to check her make up before continuing conversation.

"You know, I just had the most interesting talk with Joyce Lancaster that I thought you might be interested in," Cordelia said cattily, snapping closed her mirror and pointing off into the distance towards the dance floor. Percy followed her finger over to where Val and Grumman had stopped dancing as they were approached by three figures. Percy could just make out the faces of the woman and the older man, and he knew he recognized them from somewhere at the Ministry. Though he did not know the younger man who followed, he knew the family's name well enough, both in the relationship the woman had had with his boss, and the scandal connected with the Lancasters as a whole.

"So wonderful a family. I'm glad they have gotten back on their feet after all those dreadful indictments. From what Joyce said they are wealthier and more successful than ever," Cordelia continued drolly. "It is a shame some people abandoned them so quickly when they were down on their luck and looked like they were going to lose all their money." Percy felt himself go red in the face, angry at her statements and that she came to him to trash talk his boss.

"Grumman had every reason to want to break from that family! They're all criminals in business, cheating on their books, committing fraud, embezzling their employees' retirement so they could coat their pockets! If it weren't for the Ministry collapse diverting attention away from their case and then being able to buy their way out like every other guilty rich family, they wouldn't be looking so wonderful. Percy felt like he had made valid enough points to get Cordelia to eat her words. However, the smile on her face widened, as though these were just the things she wanted to hear from him.

"It wasn't of Joyce and Spiro to whom I was referring," she said happily. She made a big show of switching her attention from him over to Audrey. He felt her grip on him tighten anxiously.

"You know," Cordelia began, flicking her head over to the youngest member of the Lancaster clan. "Warren is sure looking good these days. And as the only Lancaster son he is set to inherit all that gold. It must be a tough bit to swallow, seeing as how you threw that ring back into his face." Cordelia finished with a smile, drinking in the tenseness of the scene, before flipping her long sheet of white blonde hair over her shoulder and waving good bye.

Percy felt the blood and heat drain from his face as his body became tensely rigid. He felt his heart skip a beat, and Audrey slowly pulled her arm away from his. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were diverted to the floor.

"You were engaged to Warren Lancaster?" he asked incredulously.

"Engaged is such a strong word," she said feebly, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. Percy shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you almost married Warren Lancaster!" he hissed in an angry disillusionment. "You've always been like a champion to the little guy, standing up for others, and you almost married a bloke who financially ruined countless hardworking families?"

"I did not almost marry him!" she fought back, narrowing her eyes. "We weren't even really engaged. We _were_ in a serious relationship and he proposed. But I was young and certainly not ready to get married, and even if I were, I wasn't sure if I wanted to marry him. But he and his family were going through this scandal and I didn't want to abandon him, so I explained how I felt but said I'd wear the ring anyways."

"Well I'm glad to know you went against you better judgment to wear a token of moral support while your hubby was in sorts over his embezzlement woes. It shows a real test of character," he sneered.

"Stop it!" she demanded, stomping her heel. "I was in love with him and thought he was a good man. Believe me, I was proved extremely wrong and have spent the last two years dealing with that fact. I don't need you rubbing what you don't know in my face!" Her eyes burned fiercely, and though even when in heels she stood a good foot shorter then him, Percy felt extremely small. He still felt angry and hurt, though he could no longer accurately describe why. He was aware of the Korean councilmen staring at their public spat and began to feel ashamed for what had just occurred. Audrey's face, too, began to soften when she noticed his defeated posture, and she looked off to the side as though in thought about what she wanted to say.

However, her gaze strayed to the dance floor, where the Lancasters had steadily surrounded Grumman and Valencia, and it looked to Percy as though they weren't the only ones exchanging harsh words. Before Percy could say something, Audrey walked determinedly over to the scene, leaving Percy in her wake. He teetered on what he should do, but decided the best course of action would be to follow. He employed his long legs to catch up with his marching and enraged assistant, and together they approached the commotion.

Joyce Lancaster stood in front of her brother and nephew, talking snidely to the couple. Grumman ensured Valencia stayed behind him, but the verbal assault had already visibly affected her. Grumman too seemed to look defeated, and Percy recognized all too well the power women like Joyce and Cordelia could have over men. Luckily, Audrey had proven countless times that she would not be intimidated by such people, and jumped in the line of fire with no hesitation.

"What else could you possibly want?" Audrey challenged, cutting off the woman's flow of insults. "You have your money, your business, you escaped jail and you've ruined people's lives. Why don't you just take your despicable victories and go the hell away?"

Percy watched the reaction of the powerful family Audrey just insulted. Joyce's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head, and she moved forward as if to snap the fuming Audrey in half. She was stopped by her brother Gatsby, who, though large and formidable, looked at the small girl in front of them with an unmistakable look of fear. The young man Percy assumed was Warren stood slumped with his head down, nervously looking up at Audrey both hoping and afraid to catch her gaze. She never looked at him.

"Come on Joyce, let's go," Gatsby muttered, taking her wrist and tugging her away.

"You wretched little pipsqueak, how dare you talk to us like that! Your protection will wear off soon enough, and when that day comes you better watch your back!" Joyce hissed, before following her family away from the ball room floor. Percy, Grumman and Valencia all looked at Audrey's heaving back with an amazed reverence. Having scared off three influential and famously instigative people was a fearsome thing to behold, and Percy was slightly alarmed by the thought of having that anger turned back on him for the awful things he had said earlier. However, when she turned around her face no long held its fierce and fiery gaze. Instead she looked tired and meek, with a slightly defeated looking countenance.

"Percy?" she asked softly, looking down and to the side instead of at him. "Could you please take me home?"

"Of course," he replied, unsure if he thought this broken down version of her was any better than being passionately yelled at. He risked putting his arm around her for support, and she leaned against him lightly before pulling away to stand on her own.

"Audrey, I'm so sorry!" Grumman exclaimed desperately. "You shouldn't have had to do that. I'm perfectly capable of handling my problems, I just get so-." Grumman was cut off by Audrey silently walking over to him and giving him a hug. Grumman looked as taken aback as Percy was by this complete forgoing of professional demeanor, but he hugged her back tightly. She let go with a sniff, motioned for Percy to follow, and walked steadfastly towards the exit.

____________________________________________________________________

Percy and Audrey walked to the Apperation check point in a deafening silence. The grounds, which had once radiated an enchanting merriment, now seemed to mock the sullen pair. Audrey moved forward unwaveringly, never looking behind her or to her sides. Percy kept himself half a stride behind her, still unsure of exactly what was going through her mind, knowing only that the best course of action was not to get into her way.

When they reached the area cleared for Apparition, Audrey waited quietly for Percy to take out his wand so they could travel Side-Long. Percy took this as somewhat of a comfort, knowing she could have just as easily taken herself home, leaving there no need for him to accompany her further. She held his hand limply as he envisioned them in her alley, and halfheartedly spun on the spot.

Percy realized it was very late upon breaking into the Muggle street where Audrey lived, as the neighborhood was deserted except for a ragged homeless man dozing on a bench across the way. Again, Audrey began her march forward, neither saying a word nor smiling as she walked locked in her own mind. Percy couldn't take it. He had never seen her quite like this, so silent and downtrodden. It was heartbreaking in and of itself, but to know he was part of what caused her to be like this was too much for him to bear, and despite knowing that she wanted to be left alone, Percy couldn't go the rest of the weekend wondering where they stood.

"Audrey, I'm so sorry for what I said," he blurted. As she turned to face him with a slightly dazed demeanor, Percy couldn't help but remember the days of when he hardly ever apologized to anyone. With Audrey, it seemed to be a frequent occurrence.

"What?" she asked, as though somewhere far away. Percy rounded himself in front of her, forcing himself to look her in the eyes.

"For what I said about you almost marrying Warren. You were more than right, I have no idea what you went through or what happened. And even if you had married him, who am I to judge? I mean, I stayed with the Ministry for three years, abandoned my family, when all the signs clearly pointed to…"

"Percy, I'm not mad at you," Audrey interjected, cutting off his stream of apology.

"You… you aren't?" he asked unsurely.

"No, I'm not. I mean, I wasn't thrilled that you berated me so thoroughly about it, but I understand why you did. I know how strongly you feel about families like that, and I can imagine how distressing it would be to find out someone you trusted was once so close to them. Believe me, I found out very quickly what kind of people they were during the indictments and have done my best to stay away from them," she said firmly.

"Well… well then I'm sorry I placed you in a position where you had to see them at all," he exclaimed, still feeling guilty and desperate to be forgiven for something. Audrey laughed wearily, shaking her head as she rubbed her eyes.

"Percy, I stopped letting the Lancasters affect me a long time ago. Granted I'll do near anything to avoid them, but when I do confront them they don't upset me." Audrey sighed, still looking slightly defeated as she mustered up the strength to speak again.

"It's not the Lancasters that are making feel so out of sorts, it's Max," she finally admitted. Percy was slightly taken aback by this confession.

"Max? What does he have to do with this?" Percy inquired, not seeing the connection.

"He and I had a big fight before you came over today. He was mad that I was going to the ball when he wasn't invited, and jealous that I was going with you, on top of all the time you and I already spend together." Percy stared at her in bewilderment.

"He does realize that we work together? I mean, I know he's a Quidditch player but he can't be that thick," he said without out thought. Audrey laughed softly again.

"That's what I told him. I brought up the fact that he is always gone on tour for his job and goes to all kinds of places without me, and if I ever bring up the point that I feel insecure about that he rambles on about how I don't trust him."

Percy frowned. "That hardly seems fair," he stated after giving her predicament some thought.

"Yeah, you're telling me," she grunted, stopping on the stoop outside her flat building. She climbed up two of the steps so she was at eye level with Percy who remained on the street.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," he said softly, finally finding something solid to apologize for. "But you seemed fine for so much of the night, why did it all of a sudden hit you this hard?"

"Because of Cordelia grinding her wretched nose into my past love life, fighting about it with you, and then confronting the family gave me a harsh reality slap. The truth is Max and I have been fighting a lot lately over lots of different things and the whole thing has been weighing on my mind recently. And tonight…well, tonight was the first night in ages I was actually able to focus on something else besides my relationship that has gone to pot like everything else in my life…URGH!" She cried out in frustration into her hands, dropping quickly to a crouching position and doing her best to curl into a ball. Percy quickly knelt down to comfort her and placed his arm around her. She quickly pulled away, hiding her face as she did so with a sniff. Percy stood back dejectedly, watching her helplessly as she struggled not to cry. Finally she got back to her feet, brushing the debris off her gown that had accumulated from the streets.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude. It's just that everything is just so… but I shouldn't be complaining and…" Once again she covered her face in her hands, trying to hide the tears that spilt down her cheeks. Percy jumped up the stairs to stand at her level, wanting to comfort but unsure how. His nearness caused her to rub her face quickly in a rush to bring about some composure.

"I'm just being crazy, don't… don't worry about me. I should just get to bed," she stammered.

"Audrey, look how upset you are. You should talk about this! I mean I know I'm just your boss, but I'm here for you," he exclaimed.

"I know you are," she sniffed, "and you mean so much more to me than just a boss… it's just all very complicated and stressful and I want… to go to bed," she finished lamely. Percy stared at her for a few moments, wanting to say something, anything, that would get her to talk to him. Moreover he felt he would give anything to be able to get her to stop crying and feeling so down about her life. He wished… he wished she could feel about herself as wonderfully and strongly as he felt for her. As that thought flashed through his mind he was overcome with a powerful urge to kiss her. And for a moment, as her eyes stared back into his and her lips parted slightly, he just thought he might. But the full moon caused the tears on her face to sparkle, and he shied away from such a grandiose gesture. Instead he nodded, bid her goodnight, and jogged down the steps as she opened up the door. Just as he began to debate whether or not he had done the right thing, he heard her call out his name. He turned and looked at her from the street as she stood half way in the door, eyes red and make up smeared, but in Percy's eyes still looking radiantly beautiful. She hesitated before she spoke, teetering on what exactly she wanted to tell him.

"I just thought I should say," she finally started, "that dancing, with you, tonight, was probably the most fun and enjoyment I've had in ages, and I so wish it hadn't ended."

"Me too," he agreed softly. Audrey nodded her head, her lips tucking themselves in and her eyes closing, and she quickly turned into her building with the door shutting behind her before he could see her cry again. He stood fixed to his spot on the street, staring at the oak door above him. He felt useless and ignorant, two of his most hated sensations. He wanted to be able to help her, to have her problems solved. But as he wracked his brain for some solution, he realized he didn't even know what the problems were. It seemed so many things were eating up inside her, but besides the specific fight she had had with Max tonight, he knew no specifics. How was it that after all this time and after how close they had gotten, there were still so many obvious things she was keeping from him? Did she not trust him? The idea was a hard one to swallow, and he kicked dispiritedly at a rusted beer can on the street as he set off for the alley. There were so many things he was dying to know that she continually denied telling him , and as he turned off the main road and walked briskly to the back dumpster, he couldn't help but remember what Weiss had said about there being a file within his very possession that held so many of the answers.


	13. Need To Know

Need To Know

Sleep was an impossibility. Percy had known this upon returning to his flat in the middle of the night, and that knowledge filled him with dread. He desperately wanted to slip into a few hours of unconsciousness so he could escape the burning questions his brain fired unceasingly. He felt he would have preferred a coma, but any form of rest would have done.

Having gone his entire adult life dealing with (and sometimes encouraging) sleeping problems, Percy knew more than a few tricks to help expedite the arrival of his REM cycle. He switched out his tailored dress robes for a worn pair of striped pajama bottoms and a faded Chudley Cannons t-shirt; his favorite and most comfortable sleepwear. He drank chamomile tea with a touch of honey to calm his over alert body. He cast a spell that drastically dropped the temperature in his flat, leaving the warmth of his bed the only comfortable sanctuary available. He even pulled out a novel and began reading, as fiction writing was always something that placed him in a serene and tired state. None of it worked.

It was so late now it began to be early. Hermes had returned from his nightly hunting and sat on his perch, watching his owner stir curiously about. The hour made Percy desperate for results as his insides screamed for sleep. Succumbing to the notion that rest would not come naturally, he released himself from the comfort and futility of his bed and began to pace about.

Slowly he meandered to his kitchen, loosely pulled by a half finished thought. He was a fully qualified and undeniably talented wizard, and there was no reason for him to be denied sleep if he wished to procure it. He opened up his fully stocked and alphabetized potions cabinet and stared at the contents. It would be very easy to whip up a sleeping draught. It was quickly made and so simple Third Years mastered it in Potions. In twenty minutes he could be back in his bed with a goblet of the stuff and be out with barely enough time to put down his cup and place his head on his pillow. Yet Percy was always wary about using sleeping potions, as he found himself to be drowsy and more irritable then usual the next morning.

He closed the first cabinet and moved his way over to the second set of doors that held his food. Or at least it would if he had any. He was hardly ever home enough to eat and he took most of his meals either at the Ministry or the Burrow. This lead to his pantry holding a scarce assortment of teas, stale crackers, canned vegetables he didn't remember buying, and owl treats. He was about to abandon the vacant shelves when his eye was caught by a tall slender bottle it had originally over looked.

The label read "The Holy Grail" on top, accompanied by a picture of an over elaborate bejeweled chalice that glowed portentously. Below, completing the label, read "Sir Percival's Pinot Noir". It was a Muggle red wine George had happened upon and presented to Percy as a Christmas gift. It had been an amusing present, and Percy had meant to open it the next time he had company over for dinner. However, it was rare enough that he had dinner at his flat, let alone with someone to join him, and the gift had been quickly stored and forgotten.

He reached up to the top shelf to take a closer look at the bottle. It was still corked. Percy recalled how a couple of glasses of dry wine always left him in a dozy state. Hell, he thought, you drink enough of anything and you'll eventually conk out. He entertained the idea of wasting himself off the whole bottle. It was an enticing notion, especially given his tempestuous condition.

But he put the bottle back, recognizing the real reason that despite that the sun was soon to rise, he was unable to fall. He wanted something more then he wanted sleep, and this desire disabled him from being able to focus on anything else. Percy wanted answers.

Scenes from the night plagued his thoughts whenever he closed his eyes and steadied his mind. The sounds of tears, laughter and unanswered questions reverberated in his ears, causing his head to pound. His heart tugged at the words _terrible _and_ complicated_. He had unfiltered desires to both help Audrey and placate his own intense curiosity. Percy hated being so emotionally torn on personal matters, and ever since his return to his family and his trials of reparations he had lost the ability to completely compartmentalize and block out all the frustration. Throughout the summer he felt like he had experienced more emotion then he had had in his near twenty three years, both good and bad. It had once been so easy to shut out distressing personal thoughts into remote areas in his mind and commonplace to shrug off emotions that slipped out. Recently however, he felt tremulous in his ability to handle the mounting pile of woes that continued to grow; his guilt for leaving, Fred's death, his family's acceptance, failure to attain the department head immediately, the stress of trying to acquire it now, Cordelia's incessant trouble makings, and Audrey. All the things he felt for her… no matter how brilliant and collected he may be, he could never sort that out. And it was all made worse by the fact that he was missing so much information. He felt that if he could just fill the gaps that remained void on her he would be able to calmly sort and settle his overwhelming feelings. Then he could sleep, focus more clearly on work, and who knows, maybe he could even help her out?

It was suddenly very clear what he needed to do. He already had the answers in his possession; he now needed only to seek them out. Her personnel file sat in the storage closet; a closet that remained accessible to him due to the hectic events of Friday afternoon. As her employer, he had every right to obtain those files for a background check. In fact, it was a tad irresponsible on his behalf that he had not already looked. Yes, he decided, he was fully in the clear and entitled to that file, and what better time than now did he have to read it?

_________________________________________________________________

The Ministry was deathly quiet. This was of course to be expected in the halls on a Sunday morning before sunrise; it was possible that Percy was the only soul there asides from the night watchwizard. He had gone to the Ministry in this solitary state before as he had worked at all times and conditions at one point or another, but this was the first time he felt a certain foreboding sense emanating from the empty silence. He had quickly dressed and left his flat full of unwavering determination, but now as he stood in the deserted corridor he felt inklings of apprehension, even guilt, trickling through his veins.

_"No matter,"_ he thought, _"I'm already here."_

He took the lift up to Level Five. He arrived at the corridor where he had discovered Seeley and the other workers attacked by Mundungus, and he received a second wind of determination to ensure some control. He passed the narrow hall leading off to his office and made his way straight to the storage compartments. Just as he had expected, the door still remained open to him, and he entered the low ceilinged stretch of room with no complication.

Thanks to he and Audrey's work, the compartment looked as organized and neat as it ever had, and he was able to make his way to the work table without fear of injury. The parcels lay exactly where he had left them, the small cube that should have held all the bottles of Delphinium Glaze sitting haphazardly open. Pushing his thoughts of that particular catastrophe out of his mind, he focused on the accordion style filing case that held what he was looking for. In his steadfast determination he had let the small package size lure him into thinking there were only a handful of files inside, and was therefore momentarily shocked at realizing it instead held hundreds. He shook his head at his mild alarm and told himself to steady so as not to let anything else catch him by surprise. He pulled his wand out of his robe and pointed it at the file case.

"_Accio_ Larrabee file," he said determinedly, and held out his hand for the parchments to fly into. Seconds later he held a mauve colored file full of papers. The mauve indicated the personnel files of an entire family. Every witch and wizard had a profile sheet kept by the Ministry, indicating basic data like date of birth, occupation and family ties. They also carried additional information like criminal records or medical histories. It was through his own family's file that he had been able to keep subtle tabs on his loved ones while he stayed away. He had first read about Bill's scaring and confirmed his suspicions that his father was being watched during the takeover through such a file. He read the tab before opening.

Larrabee; C,L,A,D,A

So it did in fact hold information on her whole family. Percy felt another short wave of hesitance that broke into his committed stance on discovering personal details of Audrey's life she had specifically not shared with him, and for a moment he felt the urge to stuff the file back in the case, return home, and just sleep all day and night. But the file was hot in his hand, and without further pause, he flipped it open.

The first thing he noticed upon staring at the page was that the document had to be the original, and not Weiss's revised copies, as someone had written across the page in a bold and unlettered scrawl. The second thing that caught his eye immediately after was the picture. On first glace he thought it was Audrey, but on further inspection he realized it was someone else. She was older, mid to late thirties he judged, with darker, straighter hair and a deeper hued skin. But the resemblance was uncanny and the woman was undoubtedly Audrey's mother. He eyed the picture a bit longer, watching Mrs. Larrabee wave and dance about dreamily the same way her daughter did. She was beautiful.

He put down the picture and picked up the profile sheet that had been written on, and took in the information.

Legal Name: Lucia Marino Larrabee

Date of Birth: April 3rd, 1959

Place of Birth: Bari, Italy

Education: Hogwarts (Ravenclaw), Completed 1977

Occupation: Co-Owner of Larrabee Vinyl, Record Store

Family: Spouse of Christopher D. Larrabee; Mother of Audrey L., David B., Amaline B.

_**BLOOD STATUS: MUDBLOOD**_

Percy froze as he took in the last line. He had an unpleasant feeling that he knew the direction in which this file was going, and he hope for the first time in his life that he'd be wrong.

Record:

Trespassing on Private Property, 1976. Fine Paid.

Vandalism, 1976. Cleared.

_**THEFT OF MAGIC, 1997. GUILTY**_.

It was as he thought. Audrey had told him weeks ago that her mother had been a Muggle-born, but had yet to incorporate into his everyday line of thought what being a Muggle-born had entailed two years ago.

He shuffled to the next page which held a few attachments. These too were handwritten, but by a different quill. He noted vaguely that he recognized the writing, but was much more intent in following the story.

Magical Law Enforcement, Summary of Transcript:

_Lucia Larrabee, after registering lawfully under the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, was called to trial December 26__th__, 1997. Upon failing to explain how she came to possess magic despite having two Muggle parents, she was found guilty under the new laws and was immediately sentenced by Dolores Umbridge to a life time in Azkaban._

Percy groaned. He and his family had gone through a lot, but he couldn't imagine what it would have felt like if his mother had been sent to that wretched, soul sucking place on the whim of a madman. No wonder Audrey never talked about this, it enraged him just thinking about it. He read back through it again. Her mother was taken the day after Christmas. It wrenched his heart to think of what that family must have gone through, believing they would never see their wife and mother again. Percy also caught another subtle emotion on his re-read; a certain tone from the author. Most people would not have picked it up, but as Percy had spent his adult life writing summaries and other paperwork, he knew how certain opinions and emotions could be slipped in through carefully chosen words in an otherwise straightforward official document. Percy felt a certain bitterness written by the official which signaled that he, unlike the bold and messy writer from before, had not supported the dark regime and most likely hated being forced to imprison innocent mothers. Percy's anger was slightly consoled by this, and was able to calm down slightly with the foresighted knowledge that less than six months later, Audrey's mother would be released with the other falsely accused Muggle-borns immediately following the downfall of Voldermort.

However, this comfort was short lived as he shuffled papers and came across the next document.

Request for Certificate of Death:

_The Ministry has just been notified about the death of Lucia M. Larrabee, prisoner number MB396. She was found dead in her cell January 15, 1998. Autopsy spell reveals sudden heart failure. This Ministry Official notes that Mrs. Larrabee suffered from acute cardiac arrhythmia and appeared not to receive her proper medicinal care. This falls contrary to The Prisoner's Rights Laws of 1823. Further investigation is suggested._

Percy felt his heart stop. Dead? How could Audrey's mother be dead? Surely she had mentioned visiting her! But when he thought about it again, he realized that though she had talked about her father, siblings and grandmother often, she hardly ever broached the subject of her mother. He turned away from the desk, trying to find some sort of reason for the events. But as he stared into the dim corners of the poorly lit room, no logic came to him. It was far too unfair. Even the most heinous of criminals destined for the Dementor's Kiss were treated for their medical conditions, as legally their bodies were to remain whole. This never should have happened. The Ministry official in charge of Audrey's mother's case clearly agreed, and with Percy's learned reading on the subject matter the author could not have showed his rage more clearly than had he screamed it. He looked back to the desk in order to read back over the document, hoping he had somehow misunderstood or would be able to catch some reason behind such a calamity that he had previously over looked. And in fact, as he moved his hand from the bottom of the page, he realized that he had missed something. Written untidily at the bottom of the page in that messy and unfriendly handwriting from before was an added message:

_**FILTHY MUDBLOOD GOT WHAT SHE DESERVED.**_

Had his glasses not been on, Percy felt sure his eyes would have popped out of his head in anger. Without thinking he struck his hand out across the desk, knocking the accordion style file case to the floor. A whooshing sound echoed in the cavernous room as thousands of papers slid out of their places after the upset, mixing with another and moving out of order. Percy paid no mind. A red rage at the people responsible for this debauchery was focused at the ignorant fool who penned that sentence, and for a moment all Percy could think about was finding his sharpest quill and puncturing the worst pressure points on who ever reveled in Audrey's loss. But that thought was forced to fade, as Percy knew the rest of the file sat in front of him, and he wasn't even half way through.

Pausing to exhale and wonder what more could have possibly happened to this family after Mrs. Larrabee's death, Percy continued to flip through the documents. The next sheet was another profile list along with an attached picture. A man with sun beaten skin and shaggy sandy hair grinned back at him. Percy imagined that Bill would someday look like him; encroaching middle age while maintain the aura of a rock star. He wore a faded leather jacket and a t-shirt rendition of the giant Beatles poster pinned to Audrey's wall. And while Audrey definitely took after her mother in both looks and stature, there was something about the way her father smiled and his eyes lit up that was very reminiscent of his oldest daughter.

Laying the picture down carefully next to that of his wife, Percy turned his attention to Mr. Larrabee's profile sheet.

Legal Name: Christopher David Larrabee

Date of Birth: January 17th, 1959

Place of Birth: Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England

Education: Hogwarts (Ravenclaw), Completed 1977

Occupation: Co-Owner of Larrabee Vinyl, Record Store

Family: Spouse of Lucia M. Larrabee; Father of Audrey L., David B., Amaline B.

_**BLOOD STATUS: UNDER REVIEW**_

Under review? What the bloody hell did that mean? He specifically remembered Audrey saying her father was a half blood at the least. That should have been evident from the beginning, with no further review necessary. He quickly tore towards the next page, greedily seeking an explanation. He was disgusted to once again see that detested handwriting, this time writing out an entire sheet rather than simply making an ugly comment.

Muggle-born Registration Commission Review: DATED JANUARY 31, 1998

_**CHRISTOPHER LARRABEE HAS SPENT HIS LIFE PARADING AROUND AS A HALF-BLOOD. HOWEVER, UPON INSPECTION OF HIS MUDBLOOD WIFE, THE COMMISSION WAS UNABLE TO PRODUCE HARD PROOF THAT HIS FATHER WAS A WIZARD, AS CLAIMED. REGISTRATION SHOWED THAT AS AN UNDERAGE, HE WAS UNDER THE LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP OF DANIEL AND REBECCA LARRABEE, BOTH MUGGLES. LARRABEE PRODUCDED MUGGLE DOCUMENTS OF BIRTH AND ADOPTION CERTIFICATIONS, TRYING TO PROVE THAT HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER WAS ACTUALLY A MAN BY THE NAME OF ERIC MUNCH. THOUGH THERE IS RECORD OF AN ERIC MUNCH, HE WAS KILLED ON DUTY IN 1996 WHILE ON WATCH AT THE MINISRTY. MUNCH NEVER REPORTED HAVING A SON. AS THE COMMISSION UNANIOMOUSLY AGREES THAT ALL MUGGLE DOCUMENTATION IS TO BE REGARDED AS AN INVALID FORM OF IDENTIFICATION, CHRISTOPHER LARRABEE CONTINUES TO BE PLACED UNDER STRICT INVESTIGATION.**_

_**THE COMMISSION ASLO DECREES THAT WHILE UNDER INVESTIGATION, THE LARRABEE OFFSPRING TOO BE REGISTERED. AS IT IS FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT BOTH THE FATHER AND MOTHER ARE MUDBLOODS, THEIR CHILDREN WILL BE TRIED UNDER THE PRETENSE OF STEALING MAGIC.**_

It was all beginning to be too much to take. Percy now remembered the rest of the story Audrey had given him about her father. His biological father was a wizard, but he had left before Christopher was born, and her father was adopted years later by his Muggle stepfather. Of course all of his documentation would be through the Muggle government then if his mother was left alone to bring up her son away from the Wizarding world! But such documentation, with a little background check, was always accepted in Percy's Ministry, especially as more and more witches and wizards married outside of the magical community. But such documentation would easily flag one's association with Muggles, and even if Audrey's father was telling the truth about his ancestry, the Commission would not be willing to believe.

Suddenly, the name Eric Munch rang a bell, and Percy realized with a shock that he had known the man. He had worked for years as the night watchwizard at the Ministry, and Percy could clearly make out the rough, sandy haired, unshaven face of the aging man who sat behind the desk at the Atrium. It was he who had found and arrested Sturgis Podmore, a member of the Order, as he searched around the Department of Mysteries. He had also been killed a short time later as the Death Eaters forced their way to that very department to apprehend Harry and the others to retrieve the Prophecy. Percy sank. The man had obviously been a wretched father, and even though he had died bravely trying to stop the Death Eaters from intruding, it seemed like his continuous absence from his family's lives continued to cost others even after he had gone.

Munch's negligence had spanned beyond just leaving his wife and unborn child, as years later it affected his biological grandchildren. It was a logical conclusion that if both parents were supposed magic stealers, their witch and wizard children would be too. Percy thought about how Audrey had said she was a good six and eight years older than her brother and sister, and that in 1998 she would have yet to be even two years out of Hogwarts. It was far too much for a eleven and thirteen year old to have their mother imprison and killed, with the father destined to follow before they themselves were tried, all within one month. He felt his stomach drop and his heart break as he turned to the next page.

Muggle-born Registration Commission Review Summary: DATED MARCH 1, 1998

_**AS CHRISTOPHER LARRABEE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO PRODUCE COURT APPROVED DOCUMENTATION OF HIS WIZARDING BLOOD LINE, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT HE BE IMPRISIONED TO AZKABAN FOR FRUAD UNTIL HE CAN GIVE PROPER PROOF FOR FURTHER TRIAL.**_

_**AS FOR THE MUDBLOOD LARRABEE CHILDREN, THEY WILL BE PLACED UNDER STRICT MINISTRY WATCH UNTIL THEIR TRIAL DATES.**_

_**DAVID BOWIE LARRABEE (13) AND AMALINE BENNIEJET LARRABEE (11) ARE HENCEFORTH PLACED UNDER THE LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP OF ALECTO AND AMYCUS CARROW WHILE UNDER IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION. THEIR HEARINGS ARE DATED FOR THE SUMMER OF 1998.**_

_**AUDREY LOLA LARRABEE (19) IS TO BE IMMEDIATELY IMPRISIONED TO AZKABAN WHILE SHE AWAITS HER HEARING, DATED FOR THE SUMMER OF 1998.**_

Percy didn't think he had much left inside him to give to this situation, and was numbly surprised that hot tears were able to form in his eyes and trickle slowly and silently down his cheek. Each sentence seemed more unjust and revolting than the last. The Commission placed an easily cleared man in prison as they rode the high of their clearing binge. They rejected all the proof he had, and there was nothing to be done for him while he rotted in Azkaban.

He could not possibly think of worse people to look after two children who had just been decreed Muggle-borns. Percy had heard stories of the torture the Carrows had laid upon students when the resigned as teachers, but even then they had held back in order not to spill too much magical blood. In their eyes, they wouldn't have to worry about that with David and Amaline.

But at least her younger siblings had remained at Hogwarts, and even while placed under the "care" of those two monsters, they were at least in castle surround by allies, many of whom he felt sure would have gone and tried to rescue the young Larrabee pair. But Audrey in Azkaban? That was not a picture he was prepared to view. She always seemed so pure in her own way, it was impossible to envision her in such a putrid environment. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more sure he felt it wasn't true. He had been around dozens of men and women who had been thrown into Azkaban, and even those who had spent only a few months time with in the walls carried a gaunt and haunted look about them. Audrey, though burden, never gave off such a presence, and as he flipped to the last pages of the file, he felt his first ray of hope. This was furthered slightly by the return of the neater, more friendly hand writing, and Percy read the parchment slowly, desperate to find some sort of peacefulness in the summary.

Magical Law Enforcement Report Summary: Dated March 7, 1998

_March 1, 1998 at approximately 10:57 pm, three Muggle-born scouts, or "snatchers" entered the Larrabee home in order to "collect" Mr. Larrabee. It is believed they were not expecting the eldest child, Audrey L., to be present at the scene, as reports state that she had not visited the house in months. The scouts however all claimed to witness Mr. Larrabee pull his daughter in with him to the master bedroom. When the scouts arrived in the room, they were met with only Mr. Larrabee, who immediately began to fend off the intruders. While Mr. Larrabee was able to hold back his assailants for a considerable length of time, the scouts eventually managed to confiscate his wand. All three scouts take credit for casting the once unforgivable Cruciatus Curse on Mr. Larrabee as they worked to uncover the whereabouts of his eldest daughter. After a reported hour of interrogation, the scouts were unsuccessful at discovering the location of Ms. Larrabee, and brought the incapacitated Mr. Larrabee back to the Ministry to be placed in custody._

_A dispatch team of Enforcers were immediately sent to the Larrabee residence in order to discover the whereabouts of Audrey Larrabee. A canvas bag containing her wand was found at the scene, which suggested she had not Disapparated. After a thorough search, Enforcers were unable to determine Ms. Larrabee's location. As the scouts had refused to turn in Mr. Larrabee's wand to the proper authorities in order to collect their gold reward, Ministry officials were unable to produce a Prior Incantato to help in their investigation._

_March 4, 1998, three days after the original incident, Enforcers began to explore more extreme options in finding Ms. Larrabee. As soon as the proper paperwork had gone through, Mr. Larrabee was rushed to St. Mungo's, and deemed to be in critical and unstable condition. After much debate, with full consideration of Mr. Larrabee's medical status, it was determined that a Memory Charm would be cast to aid the investigation. I was able to procure that Mr. Larrabee had cast a Fidelius Charm over his bedroom closet, where his daughter remained. Though we were successful in retrieving Ms. Larrabee from her containment, the stress of the memory charm placed upon her father caused irreversible damage on his mind. He was moved permanently to the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungos._

_During the investigation at St. Mungo's, I, the case's official, along with the help of Healer Toobin, came across old medical records of Eric Munch. Upon further examination hence denied the family, Healer Toobin was able to affirmatively prove Eric Munch's paternity to Christopher Larrabee. As medical records acquired from St. Mungo's are an approved form of identification to the Court systems, the Magical Law Enforcement office officially proclaim the validity of Christopher Larrabee and all his offspring's entitlement to magic. Legal guardianship of David and Amaline Larrabee is to be immediately transferred from the Carrow's over to Audrey Larrabee, and their files are to be closed permanently._

As Percy stared, disillusioned at how the file had wrapped itself up, he knew he could only be sure of one thing. He would not be getting any sleep.


	14. Free, But Empty

Free But Empty

It had been fifty hours since Percy had last gotten any sleep. He had woken up before dawn on Saturday, quivering in a nervous anticipation for the Ball. He had poured himself into whatever work he was able to bring home, trying to simultaneously forget the Mundungus fiasco while determinedly brooding over ways to fix it. The Ball had been that night, followed by his Ministry excursion in the early hours of Sunday. It was now Monday morning and he stood in front of the lift doors in a stupor, unable to comprehend that all that had happened in a three day period.

He was dimly aware of a bell, signaling the arrival of the lift and the opening of its doors. People stood in a queue behind him, waiting for him to move forward. Someone may have shouted or insulted him in order to push him into action, but Percy didn't bother processing what was said, and the crowd eventually just filed around him and went about their way, leaving him alone in front of the closing doors.

He didn't think there was a word precise enough to fully convey how big of an ass he felt he was. Just three days ago he had been in sorts over the mere thought of defaming Audrey's character, and then hours later he had thrown away all rights of her privacy and the trust of their friendship to placate his own desires. He had spent all Sunday sitting alone in his flat, fastidiously going over everything he had learned in those files. Her mother was dead, her father was permanently brain damaged, and she had become a single parent of two teenagers when she was still just one herself. She had never talked about it, never complained or used it as an excuse for any mishaps on her behalf. And to top it all off she had listened and helped him along as he complained about his personal problems, always being kind and never asking for anything in return.

The points he had used to convince himself he was in the right to read her file sounded so weak and pathetic in retrospect. It was so obvious to him now that he had simply been frustrated that she wasn't open to him, because he wanted more out of their relationship, much more then he had ever admitted out loud, and he had wanted to take matters into his own hands. But such a betrayal on his part would definitely smash any chance he could ever have at making her want to be with him. _He_ didn't even want to be with him right now.

"Percy? Are you okay, son?"

Percy jumped at the soft spoken words said inches from his ears, coupled with a firm yet gentle grasp on his shoulder. He jerked around to see his father standing behind him, along with another irritated crowd trying to fight their way around him into the lift. Mr. Weasley grabbed his son's arm and led him away from blocking the doors over to a more secluded corner.

"By Merlin what's wrong?" his father asked concernedly. "You didn't seem to be reacting to anything you seemed so blank. And your face! I don't think I've ever seen you with so much stubble and it looks like you haven't slept in ages." Percy clasped his hands to his face at his father's comment. Indeed, due to all the hullabaloo he hadn't shaved in nearly a week, not even for the Ball. He had dressed without looking in the mirror this morning, giving no thought to the state of his hair or placing any effort in concealing the dark bags which had inevitably formed under his eyes.

"I'm… I'm having problems at work. Work problems," he contested lamely. It wasn't exactly a lie, he had never been able to fib directly to his parents, but he had no energy or desire to go any further in his explanation. His father stepped back, once again appraising the physical and mental status of his worn out son. He decided to go with his classic Arthur Weasley approach, and give both caution and encouragement in the same go.

"Well, I am sure whatever it is you can handle it. I have complete faith in your abilities. But perhaps you should go home and get some rest. It is always easier to handle mishaps when you've had a good night sleep… and a shower." Percy smiled in spite of himself and laughed at his father's cheap shot joke.

"No, you were right the first time. I can handle it, I just need to be a man," Percy said firmly. Mr. Weasley smiled, understanding the hard lined determination all his children seemed to have when they made their mind up over something, and pushed no further on the issue.

"Alright, well good luck on your 'work problems'. Promise you'll try and get some rest as soon as possible?"

"I promise, Dad," Percy replied, and he did his best to give his father a strong smile as he was patted affectionately on the shoulder. Trying to make the pep talk do some good, Percy bid farewell to his dad and finally made it on to the lift. He knew what he had to do. As much as he dreaded the outcome, he knew he had to come clean about what he did. He hated thinking about the dire consequences he would have to endure from his brash actions, but gone were the days where he simply ran away from his problems. He had acted selfishly and immaturely, but now was the time to be courageous and come clean. He was a Gryffindor after all. And hopefully Audrey could find it with in her heart to forgive him. But upon thinking about their respective houses, he remembered the Grey Lady and her haughty attitude towards those who had wronged he, and the grudges she had kept for centuries after her death. Percy grimaced. It'd be much easier if she had been in Hufflepuff.

The doors to the lift sprang open as it reached Level Five, and Percy stepped out still immersed in his own thoughts. It was therefore quite the shock when he looked down and saw Zeki lying spread-eagle on the floor.

"Zek!" Percy yelled, and began to rush over to his incapacitated friend. He was intercepted however by an out-of control Alistair who was being rushed into the wall by a charging Seeley.

"Ow! Dammit man, you right near broke my nose!" Alistair complained after his face was pushed into the wall.

"Well if you had braced yourself properly like I taught you, we wouldn't be having this problem, now would we?" Seeley said matter-of-factly, dropping Alistair to his feet and checking his face for any real damage.

"What… what is going on here?" Percy inquired, looking about the curious scene.

"We're helping Seeley find some clues to the Fletcher case by reenacting the events," Zek explained excitedly from the floor. "I'm an innocent bystander!"

"And I'm the lug Enforcer who got his skull cracked in by an old man," Alistair said indignantly, rubbing his nose.

"Yeah, well you're about to be the git splattered on the Ministry wall's by that lug Enforcer if you keep at it," Seeley threatened with a growl. Alistair scowled but said nothing back.

"How did this all come about?"Percy was confused at the pairings, for though he was close to Al and Zek and had worked quite often with Seeley, he was unaware that they all knew each other.

" We came up to your office and found Seeley waiting to see if you'd be able to help with the investigation," Zek said, climbing to his feet. "We all started talking and figured we'd help him out."

"We were going to ask you if you wanted to go to the Innovative Spells, Charms and Potions Expo with us on Thursday. My boss can't go and he gave me all of his tickets," Alistair finished.

"Wow, that's really cool! I heard they have some wicked new treatments to get rid of garden gnomes. They've been ruining my hydrangeas!" Seeley exclaimed. Percy, Al and Zek all eyed him curiously, amused at the thought of such a muscular and masculine character such as Seeley being perturbed over the damages of flowers.

"What?" he asked crossly, contorting his classically handsome facial features into a narrowed glare. "Gardening helps me center after chasing bad guys all day."

"Sure it does," Al sniggered, but quickly stopped when he realized Seeley was still in a favorable position to 'recreate' him straight in to the wall. He cleared his throat. "You're more than welcome to come. We can make a bloke's night out of it."

"Yeah, more the merrier and such!" Zek piped, settling back down happily on the floor. "What'd you say, Perce?"

"Er, sure," Percy agreed, half-heartedly. "Sounds phenomenal." He paused to watch his friends all nod in agreement before excusing himself away from the group. Normally the Expo was right up his alley in interest, and it had been ages since he had had a guy's night. But he had more pressing matters on his mind at the moment, and he was in no mood to entertain thoughts of experimental potions and the post-Expo pub crawl that was likely to ensue.

"You might want to go freshen up before you settle down for work!" Percy heard Al shout as he turned the corridor to his office. "You look like hell!" Percy ignored the comment and continued his steady pace until he reached his door. Running his fingers through his mountainous bed-head, he stepped into his office, ready to get it over with. If nothing else, an early start would give him a day to find a new assistant when Audrey inevitably quit.

He walked into find Audrey humming to herself absent-mindedly while she set out files. Her wild hair was swept back in a loose ponytail, and she wore a pretty green and black dress he had never seen her in before. She often wore skirts and tops that were a bit too lax for the Ministry, and had she been in a position higher than a clerk, or assistant to someone of any actual importance, she would have been called out on it. Personally, Percy rather liked her red billowy peasant skirts and colorfully layered tops; it gave his otherwise mundane office some pop. But today she was dressed almost _too_ nicely for work, and, as usual, anything Audrey did that Percy specifically noticed took precedent over anything else going through his mind.

"You look very nice today," he complimented. Audrey flashed him a happy smile. His heart sank a little lower.

"Thanks! You look…rugged," she said with poise after struggling to find a polite adjective. Percy lightly nodded in concession as he walked around his desk and sunk into his seat.

"I had a rough weekend, sleep-wise," he explained, wondering if this could be a proper segway into the conversation they needed to have.

"You still having nightmares?" she inquired worriedly. Percy stared at her with a bit of shock.

"How'd you know that I had nightmares?" he asked incredulously. She shrugged with a small grin that didn't quite reach her concerned eyes.

"Who our age doesn't have nightmares, after all we've been through? But the mornings you look the most disheveled are the days you decide to take lunch at the joke shop or call out your father. I just assumed…"

"You have remarkably accurate intuition," he stated solemnly.

"It's context clues, mostly," she said with a laugh. Percy was feeling worse and worse by the second. She was so beautiful and kind, and made him ineffably happy. Why couldn't that have been enough? Why couldn't he just leave it at that and for once enjoy feeling cared for by someone like her without having to ruin it? Why did he feel like he always had to know everything?

"So, uh, why are you done up so nicely?" he asked, changing the subject. He knew he had to talk to her but he wasn't quite ready. He knew it was best just to say what he needed to and be done with it, but he couldn't quite jump the last hurdle of hesitation.

On Audrey's part, she too looked liked she didn't want to own up to something, and her clear face reddened softly as she prepared to speak.

"Maxwell is taking me to this apparently extremely fabulous and over priced restaurant after work," she conceded guiltily.

Maxwell. The Boyfriend. World-Famous Chaser. Prat. Bane Of Percy's Existence. Tosser. How could he forget? Percy's stomach made a loop and sank somewhere down near his knees.

"Oh, so you two made up then?" Percy asked in an over-casual manner. Audrey bit her lip, shrugging as she took her seat next to him.

"Not really. We sort of talked… well, _I_ talked, on Sunday about some of our problems. He doesn_'_t really seem to think something is wrong. But we've been together for over six months and we still don't seem to really get each other. I told him we either need to get on our broomsticks or get off the Quidditch mound, but even that seemed to do no good," she explained miserably. Percy couldn't help but smile at her euphemism, and despite giving up on the chance that Audrey would ever look at him the same way after he told her of what he did, he couldn't help but glow slightly at how she seemed to be done with that relationship.

"Anyways, I figure we can talk more about it tonight. He's had this dinner reservation for my birthday for ages and hopefully…"

"Birthday!?!" Percy exclaimed, cutting into Audrey's somber line of thought. Audrey blinked a few times before smiling sheepishly.

"Whoops," she said softly.

"Today's your birthday?" Percy groaned. "I didn't… I had no idea…"

"That would be my fault," she assured. "As your assistant it is my job to remind you of such things, and as your friend it was my duty to tell you in the first place."

"Birthday," Percy muttered, collapsing back into his seat.

"Yup. The Earth has successfully orbited around the sun a full twenty-one times since I came into being. Well, maybe not exactly. There is that whole leap year, add-a-day-to-compensate, thing. Leap year did always throw me off. And I always felt so bad for it landing in February. Like the poor month didn't already have fewer days than any other without having one skived off of it three quarters of the time."

Percy barely heard her nervous ramble. Of all the days he had to tell her this, he had to pick her birthday to present a betrayal. A parentless, boyfriend-upsetting birthday that he had somehow managed to be completely oblivious to.

"Well, you look fantastic," Percy said, finally able to put together a coherent sentence.

"Thank you! And thank goodness to Fleur for picking out this dress for a birthday present at the second hand shop the other day or I wouldn't know what to wear," she stated offhandedly.

"Fleur bought you that? As a birthday gift? My sister-in-law Fleur?"

"Well honestly, Percy, how many Fleur's do we know?" she asked with a giggle.

"I just didn't know you two hang out," he grumbled, the lack of sleep getting the better of him.

"Only a few times," she said seriously, picking up on his irritability. "We got along so well at your dinner and corresponded afterwards. We both seemed to be in need of a girlfriend. She's been so busy since she's moved here, what with Bill, the wedding, the war and then the baby; she hasn't really had any social time for her. And I… well, recently I've been busy with a lot, and my old artist friends aren't exactly the most understanding when you have to go and get a real job."

Percy felt another stab of guilt from his ignorance. There were some things he was normally so keen on noticing, but he hadn't thought to notice that as charming and wonderful as Audrey was, she never talked about having any friends. He supposed he was used to personal silence from her. After all, she had a hell of a family history she had kept from him. But he had a feeling that it wasn't so much a tragic event that kept her from the social life that normally would have fit her, but the aftermath of the one she already had. He was very grateful that Bill had married such a woman as Fleur, for though as different as they were, they definitely seemed like compatible companions.

"Well, I spend near every day for two months with you, you talk unceasingly, and yet you are still a constant surprise," Percy obliged. Audrey smiled, but for the first time Percy noticed a pained look in her eye as though she was holding back something she wanted to tell him. He imagined that had his eyes not been so red and puffy, his would look the same.

This could have been the moment where he had come clean. Maybe he could just say it, have her get mad, but maybe she would explain why she never said anything. Then he could settle down, knowing either they weren't as close as he wished or she didn't think he was worth telling. Then he could continue with his days without an overpowering and useless sense of guilt. He could be free of the extreme and binding feelings he felt for her. Free, but empty. Well, he was used to that.

However, he decided to keep his mouth shut and set them off to work. It was her birthday and she had enough on her mind with Max, coupled with, he assumed, a longing for family enjoyment and company that normally went along with birthdays. He knew he felt a pang for his loved ones, especially his mother, on the birthdays he spent apart from his family. And almost every month he would look at the calendar with a shock and realize that one of his siblings was another year older, and as angry as he had been with all of them, he couldn't help but feel like, perhaps, being right wasn't worth being away.

The day went along rather smoothly. Mr. Grumman and Valencia came into the office at noon with sandwiches and a cake, imparting their best birthday wishes to one of their employees. Every form went through the way it was supposed to. Nothing was lost or stolen, and, best of all, no one was hospitalized. Even his old desk, which had always been fairly wobbly, seemed to place itself in a mode of professionalism, and never once did it shake when Percy or Audrey braced themselves against it when rising or when they leaned across it to hand over a paper.

As always, work was able to force Percy into compartmentalizing his problems, and by the time five o'clock neared, almost all of the stabs of guilt had numbed. Of course, he knew when he got home he would most likely anticipate another sleepless night as he had gone another day without telling her what he did. But it almost seemed worth it. He got to enjoy one last day of her not loathing him. A few more hours of her silly jokes and dreamy antics. And, best of all, a dozen more smiles which were the triggering agent that got him into this mess. She was so beautiful when she smiled.

While they wrapped up their work in order to call it a day, the office door swung open and a paper airplane the size of an owl swooped in, carrying within its crease a small pouch. It landed swiftly in front of Audrey, unfolding itself flatly as though eager to be read.

"What could this be?" Audrey asked in surprise, looking at her package.

"Birthday gift, I expect," Percy suggested. His work determination crumpled slightly. _I wonder if I'll be able to get her a present before I tell her, without it looking like a bribe. Though, perhaps a bribe wouldn't be the worst of things…_

"I can't imagine who from. I had Birthday dinner with my family yesterday, and I forgot to tell you…" her voice, and smile, faded as she read the letter.

"What is it?" Percy asked anxiously.

"It's Max," she said, without inflection. "He says he's not able to make it to dinner. Emergency Quidditch drills back in North England, says he won't be back for a few days. But he says he saw this and thought I'd like the color…"

Percy watched her quietly as she slipped a hand into the small pouch. A few moments later she pulled out a necklace, with an enormous pink diamond in the shape of a teardrop. Audrey held this gift out at arm's length, looking at it silently. Percy imagined it cost more than he could make by Christmastime.

"It's very lovely," Percy commented, trying to break the silence. "And once again I learn something new! I thought your favorite colors were red and purple."

"They are," she said quickly, placing the diamond down lightly and letting the gold chain pool around the gem. "I don't even think I own anything that's pink."

Percy tucked in his lips. That was the opposite reaction he meant to instate in her. She tried smiling weakly, playing with the necklace much like Ron used to play with his Cauliflower, pushing it around sporadically and hoping it would turn into something else. Percy was at a loss of what to say.

"Just as well," Audrey finally said, albeit a bit too cheerfully. "I can't really stomach fancy food all that well. Comes from being raised on a diet of cheesy noodles I'm afraid." She stood up, placing the diamond back carefully in the pouch before shoving it into her bag. "I guess it'll just be a quite birthday at home with a cup of wine and…"

"Nonsense, come out with me," Percy interjected frankly. A smile began to creep upon Audrey's face, but she held it back. "You shouldn't be alone on your birthday."

"Ah ha, the pity date. I know thee well," she laughed.

"No pity date," he said firmly. "I'd be thrilled to be able to take you out! I feel dreadful about not knowing before hand, and, although I don't have anything planned out, I will take you anywhere you want to go. Pending it doesn't require a reservation and doesn't serve a lot of crab. I'm not very fond of crab."

Audrey's smile widened at his poor attempt at a joke, and her body straightened out excitedly at the prospect.

"I think I know of a few seafood-free places." She bit her lip, thinking carefully. "You have any Muggle money?"

"Of course," Percy said quickly, pulling out his bill fold and showing her several twenty pound notes he kept tucked away. "The Ministry guidelines suggest all witches and wizards carry around Muggle money in case they are stranded somewhere without magic."

Audrey's smile reached full capacity and she began to giggle fiercely at this concession.

"What?" he asked, beginning to laugh himself, "I promise you it does!"

"I believe you, that's why I'm laughing," she explained. Percy grinned, sticking his bill fold back in his robes.

"Okay, so Muggle money, I'm guessing a Muggle place, Muggle attire?"

"Yes," she nodded, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "Very casual so don't dress sharply. In fact, keep the beard, it makes you look wonderfully messy."

"Ah no, the beard goes," he said, rubbing his stubbled growth.

"I don't think so. It's my birthday, I get what I want. The beard stays," she stated firmly, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. "Pick me up at my place in an hour, and come hungry."

Percy agreed as he watched her walk out the door. It was a strange turn of events, but very pleasantly so. Max seemed right near out of the picture, and Percy couldn't help the feeling that she seemed more excited about spending it with him than she had when she was spending it with Max. But the thought of him having a chance with her reminded him of what he might have thrown away by looking at that file, and though he left his office full of excitement, the bleak future left him feeling empty.

(A/N: I'm trying to push out the chapters more quickly, but this weekend I am moving and actually have my own birthday ((another Audrey turning 21!)). Anyhoo, I thank y'all for your patience and your continued reading. I know you have been dying for these two to get together, and to be honest with you, I have too. So I've re-arranged my story plans a tad to compensate. I think you'll really like the next chapter…) 


	15. Now or Never

Now or Never

"I know what you're thinking," Audrey said with a sloppy grin. "There's no way you make that shot."

"There's no way you know what I'm thinking. I don't even know, so there's no way you know what I don't know…no…you know?" Percy slurred. Audrey snickered and threw her head down on her side of the table, disappearing behind the three glasses; one still filled high with ale.

"It's true!" Percy exclaimed, chewing on the last of his pizza crust lazily. "I haven't decided where I am going yet, or what technique I plan on using."

"You're just worried because it's neck and neck and you can't stand the thought of losing!" she egged on.

"That is true," Percy conceded, looking down at the full glass that sat in front of him. "I am a very poor loser."

"Ha ha, well you're about to be a smashed loser if you think…" her sentence was cut off by Percy's quick movement. He released the bronze coin he had been fiddling between his fingers and bounced it off the empty pizza tray that lay between them. The coin just barely missed landing on a lost pepperoni before hopping once more and landing straight in Audrey's drink. Percy clapped his hands in victory and drummed loudly on the table.

"You didn't even try knocking that away!" he crowed happily as Audrey stared at her ale in muddled disbelief. "Well, go on. Drink up, all of it!"

"You're just trying to get me drunk," Audrey said indignantly, picking up her glass and pressing it against her lips.

"And succeeding," Percy grinned as he watched her chug the liquid down. "Of course, you do have five slices of pizza stuffed into your stomach to help you absorb the toxins…"

"I did not eat five slices!" she sputtered, three-quarters of the way done with her drink. "You are such a liar!"

"I'm the liar? Check your plate, Larrabee, how many different crust residues do you count?" Audrey looked down sheepishly, moving the ends of her devoured dinner around.

"Well, some of us actually like to eat, Weasley. We can't all be anorexic like you," she shot back.

"I couldn't keep up with you! You stole my last slice before I was done with my third!" Audrey snorted into her drink, causing some of it to spill as she finished happily.

"Well, it's my birthday. I can do whatever I want," she said firmly, turning over her empty glass so the Knut slid onto the table.

"This is true. Anything you want. You know, except win drinking games," he stated coyly. Audrey's mouth dropped huffily and she threw the coin down on the table as hard as she could. It bounced off the tray and flew clear over Percy's head.

"Dammit!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest impatiently.

"Don't worry," he laughed, "I'll get it. And I won't make you finish my drink either. It's all me." He grabbed his glass off the table and walked over to the direction of the lost coin. They were in a Muggle pizzeria and pub. Percy had shown up on her doorstep in a white t-shirt with green sleeves and a faded pair of blue jeans. As requested, he kept his stubble but decisively ran a comb through his unruly hair. Audrey answered the door clad in her own jeans and cotton top, forgoing the pretty dress she had on early for something more appropriate for their intended destination. Percy had never really visited a Muggle pub, or had pizza for that matter, but he found the dingy atmosphere and questionable cleanliness of dishware rather enjoyable. They had spent the last few hours feasting off of pizza and cheese sticks, loosing count on the number of ale pitchers they had ordered and hardly caring. It had been ages since Percy had done anything close to this, and he could hardly contain the amount of fun he was having.

He made his way to the wall behind him, where his lost coin had landed on a man's shoe.

"Sorry about that, mate," Percy grinned merrily.

"Quite alright," the stranger laughed back, placing the coin in Percy's out-stretched palm. "But that's quite a wonky coin you have there."

"Uh yeah," Percy stuttered, shoving the Knut back into his pocket. "It's American." The fellow pub-goer nodded, understanding fully the strange things America did without further comment, and Percy returned to his table quickly, glad that both British Muggles and wizards alike had an inclination to accept the oddities of the West without much comment.

When he made it back to their table he found Audrey smartly forgoing the last of the mead from the pitcher for a tall glass of water. Percy took to his seat, polishing off his drink before he too decided it was time to properly hydrate. He felt happily dizzy and elated, and though it had been almost three days since he had last gotten any sleep, he felt wildly energized.

"Let's go roam about!" Audrey suggested, sharing his sentiment with rosy cheeks. Percy grinned, throwing his Muggle notes on to the table before following her out the door. It was a very warm summer night, and despite the fact that the sun had long set, it was still muggy enough for Percy to break out a sweat when he ran; which he did, after Audrey spontaneously determined him to be 'it', tagging him hard on the arm and speeding down the sidewalk. She was quick, and received an initial head start while Percy stood in oblivion to the game he was just inducted in to. But as always, Percy was a fast learner, and, due to his long legs, an even faster runner. Audrey was able to run down the end of the block and barely turn the corner before Percy caught up to her, jumping out with a roar and grabbing her with a startling shake. Audrey squealed in delight, laughing as Percy wrapped his arms around her to proclaim irrefutably that she was caught. He quickly let her go, wiping the perspiration off his face that had accumulated from the stringent humidity. From then on out they decided to stroll leisurely down the road, talking and laughing without reservation, letting their feet take them where they wished. They went on for such a while that Percy nearly forgot that they were walking, and was therefore surprised when Audrey stopped abruptly in front of a locked gate, ending midway through her explanation of why even though it wasn't entirely Yoko's fault, she was still apt to placing the blame on her as it made her feel better. She stared at the structure with a frown.

"This isn't right," Audrey said decisively, shaking the thick iron rods of the two story fence.

"What's not right?" Percy inquired.

"This fence, it shouldn't be here!" she exclaimed emphatically. "It's blocking entrance to this lovely park I used to go to as a kid. My dad took me here all the time! They can't just lock it up!" She continued to shake on the bars desperately.

"It looks like they can," Percy stated, pointing to a sign that declared the enclosed area to be private property, no trespassing. "Looks like somebody bought the place and… Hey, what are you doing?"

Percy watched in amazement as Audrey tossed her bag over the tall gate and began haul herself upwards.

"I'm going to the park. It isn't right that someone should keep this all to themselves!" she exclaimed through a grunt as she struggled to get her foot in the small gaps in the rod iron.

"Get down from there! You could get caught, or worse, hurt yourself! Let's just keep walking. I'll take you to the park over by my flat," he bargained worriedly.

"No!" she shot back determinedly, having already pulled herself half way up. "I love this park and I am getting inside."

"Well why don't we just Apparate inside then?" Percy asked in desperation, his nerves winding tighter the higher she climbed up.

"Where would the fun be in that? Breaking in the Muggle way proves that just because they put up a fence doesn't mean they can keep people out!" she exclaimed as she neared the top. "Come on Percy, you need to live a little! When was the last time you did something bad?"

Percy felt the dizzying slap of sobriety as she both said those words and balanced precociously over the edge.

"_All too recently,"_ he thought to himself as the last of his carefree mind-frame evaporated.

"Wow," said Audrey softly, as she straddled the top of the fence. "I didn't realize how high up this was."

Noting the beginnings of panic in her voice, Percy quickly ridded himself of his bystander hesitation. He took a few steps back and took to the fence at a run. He scaled its length quickly, using his upper body strength to swing himself over the fence, and leapt safely to the ground without lingering long enough to debate how much it would hurt if he had made a misstep. He landed in a crouch, but quickly extended his legs as he turned around, arms out stretched in Audrey's direction.

"Here, let me help you down," he said concernedly.

"Gee whiz, those were some Bruce Lee moves right there!" Audrey replied excitedly.

"I don't know who that is, but please just carefully come down!" he begged. Audrey shot him one of her grins before leaping out towards him. He had just enough time to shut his eyes as her body crashed into his, forcing him to fall backwards as they tumbled to the ground. He felt slightly winded as he adjusted his skewed glasses. Audrey remained on top of him, giggling madly into his chest. His tailbone hurt and his elbows were sorely bruised, but he couldn't help but smile along with her. Audrey finally picked up her head to smile at him devilishly. Their faces were mere inches apart, giving Percy both a dizzying feeling and a perfect view of her warm, chocolate eyes.

"Well, that was fun," she said calmly, brushing away a leaf that had entangled itself into Percy's hair.

"Yeah," he replied breathlessly, "fun." Audrey laughed softly again, biting her lip with a grin before she rolled off of him. Percy felt an emptiness in his chest and a stirring in his loins when she pulled away, and he took a few seconds to shake off both before standing up beside her.

When he got his wits about him and took in his surroundings he began to understand Audrey's buzzed insistency in getting over the gate. It was a very lovely park. The Muggle architect and landscaper had done a very good job at planting an assortment of trees and shrubs, and though it was all obviously man-made, it still appealed to one's delight of nature perfectly. Cutting across the park was an added extension to a naturally flowing river. They silently headed towards it, drinking in the sweet smell of pine in the full moon light.

"_It really is a shame they blocked this park off,"_ Percy thought to himself as they reached a charming stone bridge expanded across the river bank. "_It is very beautiful."_

Audrey stopped them in the middle of the bridge, leaning casually over the edge. Percy joined her and together they watched the river drift peacefully along, interrupted only by the occasional fish leaping out of the water to catch a wayward bug.

"This was my favorite place to go to when I was little," Audrey explained slightly somberly as she stared at the moon's distorted reflection.

"I can see why," Percy replied helpfully, even though his body began to tense.

"Our flat was so small, especially after Amaline was born, and there sometimes seemed like there was no place to move. We didn't have a backyard to play in so our parent's took us here almost every day until we were finally able to afford a house. I was off at school by then, so this place is pretty much where I spent my childhood." She talked very casually, as though she was explaining a pleasant aspect of the day's weather, but Percy detected a crushed inflection underneath. Guilt and sorrow filled him once again and his conscience began to stir. He knew he needed to talk to her, and having a casual conversation about her family when he knew what he knew felt like another lie piled on top of an already disturbingly large mound of personal transgressions. He had decided to wait, due to the day's circumstance, but even then he wondered if it was just another attempt at stalling. Perhaps it would be better to be honest forthright. Or at least as forthright as could be now.

"I'm really glad you invited me out tonight," Audrey said quietly. Percy's face fell in the dark.

"I couldn't let you spend your birthday alone. I know there were other ways you would have rather spent it," Percy fumbled.

"Are you kidding me? I've had a blast! I haven't had this good a birthday in ages," she stated happily, nudging him on the shoulder affectionately before returning her body's focus back to the water. Percy shook his head in a defeated acceptance. He didn't deserve her affection and adulation, not after what he did, and he would no longer prance about as a charlatan. He cared for her too much to lie any further.

"Audrey, I have to tell you something," he began, flustered. His mouth seemed to be fighting against what it knew he had to say. Audrey turned to face him, smiling kindly as she gave him her full attention.

"Yes?" she asked hopefully. Percy gulped. It was now or never.

"I've done something… something that I feel terribly dreadful for doing. You have to know I wish with everything I have that I could take it back, but I can't, and now I have to go from here."

"What happened?" Audrey asked in alarm, standing up straight and facing him full of concern. "Are you alright!?! Is everything okay?"

"I know what happened to your family," Percy blurted out, cutting off her worried inquiries. Audrey stopped speaking mid sentence, frozen in her inflection as her mouth remained slightly open.

"I know about your mother, your father and… and how you have to look after your brother and sister now," Percy continued softly.

"H-how… where did you…when…" Audrey sputtered.

"Saturday night, after the ball," Percy answered, deciding this to be the best place to begin his explanation. "I had known something was… different about your life… that there was more to what you were doing then you were letting on, for a while now. At first I thought I was just being paranoid. And then as we grew closer I realized there was something big you weren't telling me, weren't really telling anyone. It drove me mad, but I didn't know how to approach you about it. And then at the ball, Weiss… when he was very drunk, began to talk about you going through some tragedy and how it was all in one of the files he had given to me. I wanted to talk to you about it right then, but then Cordelia and Max… After I said good-bye to you that night I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about what Weiss said and all the things you didn't… I got into this obsessed mode, not that that is any kind of excuse, but I was desperate to understand what was wrong. So I went to the Ministry and…and…"

"Read my family's case profile," Audrey finished stoically. Percy felt his body nearly collapse from anguish.

"Audrey, I am so sorry! For everything," he exclaimed emphatically. "I had no idea, and after I found out I felt so ruddy awful. I haven't been able to sleep or really function…" Percy faltered on his apology as Audrey walked to the other side of the bridge, hoisting herself up on the wall with her back facing the river. She looked down as she swung her feet silently. Percy hesitated, wondering what this slight change in location meant, but followed her none the less.

"Please believe me, it was not my intention for things to go this far. I know what I did was totally invasive and completely shatters my record of being trustworthy. I know there is nothing I can do to change what I did but if there is anything, anything I can do now…"

"Is that why you took me out tonight?" she interjected swiftly. "To butter me up before you told me this?"

"No!" he cried loudly. "It honestly was because I didn't want you to be left alone on your birthday, especially because of what I discovered. I came in to the office today fully prepared to tell you, and then I found out what today was and felt… I felt like I shouldn't ruin your day just because I was such a fuck-up."

Audrey snorted humorlessly at his admission.

"Huh, I bet you feel like shit," she stated.

"A steaming pile, to say the least," he admitted, leaning up against the wall beside her. "I'm so sorry I've ruined everything. It being your birthday was just a wretched coincidence coinciding with my pratishness." Audrey nodded but remained silent, biting in her lip as she stared off into the distance. Percy watched her intently, hoping that she would speak soon, yet terrified of what she would say. She was quiet for what seemed like ages, and as every minute passed unspoken, Percy became more riddled with anxiousness.

"Please, Audrey," he began again, trying to engage her in further dialogue. "Let me…"

"Shhh!" she shushed quickly. "I'm debating."

"Debating?" he asked incredulously. "Debating what?"

"Of whether or not I want to plant Mandrakes at my apartment," she snapped sarcastically. "Gee whiz Percy, what the hell do you think I'm debating about?" Percy paused. He had never heard her talk to him like this before, though of course he deserved far more. But debating? Weighing pros and cons? Despite her snappy words and silences her actions weren't nearly as drastic as he imagined they would be. She hadn't stormed off, hadn't screamed or tried to hit him. In fact she was acting calmly, and though debating meant she was thoroughly combing over the bad things he had done, she was also shifting through some of the good. Percy barely dared to hope.

"So, let's see if we have all the facts here. You went into the Ministry in the middle of the night to dig up information on me. You're my boss, so legally you have the right to do that, but you didn't bother looking for anything until Weiss told you it explained what happened to my family and only pulled it out because you were curious, and not for any work related issue. You went behind my back to find out things I deliberately did not talk to you about, invading my privacy and violating my trust…"

Percy grimaced as she clearly summed up what he had been agonizing over for the past two days so concisely, dreading just what she would say next.

"On the other hand, you were clearly worried about me, which deserves some merit. And you did tell me quickly, though not instantly, what you had done when you could have just hidden it…"

"No I couldn't have," Percy interjected, staring down lamely at his feet. Audrey paused before continuing.

"I don't talk about my family to most people for a reason, Percival," she said firmly. "It is my personal life, and I don't like people sticking their noises into my serious business without invitation."

Audrey paused again to let her words sink in clearly. Percy acknowledged what she said, turning to nod at her statement and trying not to look so pathetically crestfallen.

"However," she continued, in a much softer voice, "you are not most people to me. We're close. Sometimes it amazes me how close. You went from my anal retentive boss to one of the best friends I've ever had so quickly that I hardly realized it happened. We've shared a lot of personal things. It was daft of me to think that I could keep such a secret. And it's not really much of a secret. I mean, I can't really hide from everyone forever the fact that my mother died in Azkaban, my father lost his mind and the ability to function, leaving me the only parent of my kid siblings." She tried to laugh at this last sentence, but was only able to let out a few soft chuckles before a tear rolled down her face. Percy pulled himself up onto the bridge wall next to her, looking at her full of concern.

"I don't understand why you hide what happened in the first place. A lot of people lost family in the war. A lot of youth were left to take care of their survivors. I know it's hard to talk about, but you've gone through seemingly extraordinary lengths so that the people close to you don't know. Why?" This was one of the questions that had beleaguered him. It was hard for him to talk about Fred, but sharing his pain with others had eased him. Audrey had asked him to share countless times in order for him to have someone to talk to. Why did she renege on her own advice about something so large and so plaguing?

Audrey turned her head away from him, looking determinedly in her lap. At first he wondered if he had any business asking her as she had yet to determine where they stood. Quickly he realized however that her silence was due, not to him, but because she seemed to be both struggling with her words and her tears. He briefly made a point to himself not to assume everything was about him before giving her his full attention.

"I don't like talking about it," she began in a quiet but sturdy voice, "because I'm ashamed."

"Ashamed?" Percy exclaimed, a bit too loudly. "What on Earth do you have to be ashamed about? If your mother hadn't registered and gone to trial they would have been after your family sooner, and your father fought nearly to the death to save you…"

"You see, that's just it," she answered rather hoarsely. "They did all that despite…when I just…" She gasped for words, shaking her head roughly so that her face was buried behind her curls. Percy reached out and brushed away her hair, tucking it gently behind her ear. She smiled weakly, still diverting her gaze as she gathered up the will to tell her story. After a few more moments, she began.

"The fall before my mother's trial I left home to go travel. I had just broken off things with Warren and had fallen into the mind frame that I would not settle or compromise my dreams for anyone. A fine mindset to have when it comes to boys, but a rather ungrateful one when it comes to your family. Normally my parents would have supported me, but the times were so dangerous and uncertain that they wanted me home. Being nineteen I of course told them to shove it and left anyways. I wanted to focus on my art and nothing was going to stop me, even when I heard about the Muggle-born commission and my mother's trial. I went home on Christmas Eve though, spent the holiday with the family. It was very nice, almost like I never left and like my mother wasn't about to. But of course the next day she was tried and immediately sent to Azkaban. Then a couple of weeks later we found out she died…" Audrey paused to finally allow the tears she had been holding back to fall and sobbed silently. Her face had gone fairly white while her eyes turned a puffy red. Percy sat in an empathetic silence as she collected herself, grabbing her hand without thinking.

"I completely lost it when I found out. I was so angry and out of control. My mother hadn't had any heart problems since she was a child. There was an easy potion to help her condition, hell, even the Muggle medicine she took as a girl worked fine. And for her to die so unjustly…" she let that tangent hang loosely.

"You had every right to be mad an upset," Percy said. "You just lost your mother. I couldn't even imagine."

"She was my best friend," Audrey explained simply. "I used to tell her everything. I felt so unhinged knowing that I'd never see her again. She was buried at Azkaban, still is, I never even got to say good-bye. I wanted to get as far away from home as possible so I didn't have to have that constant reminder. So I left again. For good I said. _I_ was too traumatized. _I_ was too upset and decided to take all my pain and anguish and bury it in my art. I came up with some pretty original things," she laughed lamely, wiping at her eyes again.

"I just left my family behind. Didn't bother to tell them where I went or ask how they were doing. I was totally self involved. My brother David, he's so different than my father and they could never quite understand each other, despite how much they loved one another. My mother and I were the only ones who could really get him out of his shell. And Ama… do you have any idea how much an eleven year old girl needs her mother?" she exclaimed, staring at Percy desperately. He could only imagine, but did not say as much and merely ran his thumb over the top of her smooth hand for comfort.

"But my father… that was the worst. My parents had been nearly inseparable for 28 years. My dad didn't know how to live without her, let alone take care of two kids in the process. I should have been the strong one. I should have been what kept the rest of the family together. Instead I just crawled into my pain and the mindset of not giving up anything for any one. So my dad had to do everything he could alone. He put all of his energy in trying to stay out of jail himself. He shut down his store, the only thing he felt he had left, to put all of his resources in proving his paternity and keeping us safe. He wrote encouraging letters to all of us, even though I had tried to sever off communication. He tried everything he could… he was such a wonderful man."

"And then he heard the sentence. A… friend, at the Ministry, leaked out how he and I were to be imprisoned that night. He could have just made a run for it, but the first thing he did was get me and bring me home so we could hide together. I have the same heart problem as my mother. Not as bad, I don't even take anything for it anymore… but he was determined not to risk it." Fresh tears spilled down her face as she relived that night, and her voice quivered as she spoke.

"I was fighting with him when the snatchers came. I was scared and was relentless in my determination that I didn't want to have anything to do with him. He was trying to set up a Fidelius Charm and I should have been helping, instead of rowing. When we saw the snatchers, I just froze in panic. It finally went through my thick head how much trouble we were in. My father dragged me into the bedroom, pushed me into to the closet, told me… told me he loved me, and slammed the door. I heard Dad fighting the three snatchers, heard the curses shot his way, none of which came through the door. I tried to get out but the door was sealed. I had to listen as they finally caught my father…as they tortured him… asked him where I was." She paused again, now beyond the point of crying, and her voice had gone hollow. "Well, my father was a stubborn man. They got nothing from him. When they figured that out, I heard them take him and leave."

"What did you do?" Percy asked breathlessly.

"Cried," she said simply. "A lot. There wasn't much else I could do. I didn't have my wand, my dad had used pretty powerful magic on the door so I couldn't get out. So for three days I just sat slumped in the closet, surviving off of a water bottle packed in my dad's golf bag, going in and out of a dazed sleep and just waiting to die."

She stopped again and then, to Percy's utter amazement, she laughed.

"You can imagine my surprise when they pulled me out," she said with a chuckle. "They took me to St. Mungo's, gave me a night to heal up, and then told me all that had happened. The case manager explained how my dad's mind had broken when he used the memory charm to find me, but how he had finally been able to find proof to the courts so my siblings and I were finally safe. At first I could hardly have cared. I had effectively killed my father, my mother was long dead, what was the point anymore? I felt like a worthless human being and just kept wishing they had left well enough alone and had let me die."

"But then my brother and sister came. I hadn't seen them since Christmas. They were horribly banged up after just three days with the Carrows. My brother, who had always thought himself shy and weak, had shielded Ama from their torture the best he could. They had cursed his left eye, left him with a large scar across it and he can't see out of it anymore. Ama's hair was shredded and they were both covered in blood and dirt. I took one look at them and realized… realized that as long as we had each other, we would be okay. As broken and damaged as our family was, we could be strong enough to survive. I looked at them and realized that they needed me, and that was more than worth living for." She smiled genuinely, wiping the last residue of tears from her face, the life returning to her voice.

"At first I imagined they would have hated me for all that I had done. But when I stood up from my hospital bed, they both came at me at a full run. We all lay on that twin bed for hours, crying and hugging. I probably kissed them more times that night then I ever had in their whole lives. I apologized profusely for what I had done, and promised that I would never, ever leave them again, and that I would take care of us.

"Then what?" Percy asked, totally immersed in her tale. Audrey exhaled, shrugging with a light grin.

"That was the tricky part. My dad sold off all our assets trying to get us safe. We had no money, no home. I had been staying at a guy's place… someone who had swiftly moved on to another girl in my four day absence. Just as well though, he was a loser and I had much more pressing things to worry about then a cocky, low-talent sculptor. We moved into my grandmother's place, my dad's Muggle mother. She took us in graciously, but she only has a tiny two bedroom house, and lives off of an even smaller fixed income ever since her husband died. Ama and David decided they wanted to return to school after the Easter break, and with written assurances from Flitwick and McGonagall that they would take extra care of them and keep them as far from the Carrows as possible, I agreed. I took on various Muggle part time jobs trying to scrap some money together and stay under the radar. When Voldemort fell and it was safe to get a job in the Wizarding world I started looking right away. I had done rather well on my OWL's fifth year, but by the end of seventh I was determined to be a professional artist, and NEWT's, well, they didn't seem like much of a priority. So, my options were fairly limited. Luckily, the Ministry was in desperate need of employees, even though the regime had fallen people weren't exactly jumping to trust the bureaucracy as a whole, and I was quickly hired. I moved out of my grandma's place so there would be more space, got the cheapest, nearest place to them as I could find, and give near all my earnings to them for food and clothes and school supplies. I see them nearly every day during the summer and spend my whole weekends with them. I schedule my vacations around their school breaks and just try to live a normal life as possible for them," she explained, somewhat proudly.

Percy stared at her in shock. It was almost incomprehensible. She had gone through so much, so many tragedies and transformations so quickly. She had bounced through almost settling in to a marriage, rebelling against anything of the sort to be an artist, leaving…leaving her family behind to pursue her own career…

That information slapped Percy hard in the brain. That is why she had always been so understanding, why she never portrayed him as the bad guy he felt he was, how she always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better. Though she had done it for different reasons and a shorter amount of time, she had left her family behind for her own causes. His mind immediately raced back to his bedroom at the Burrow, and the conversation they had had that made him feel, for once, like he was on his way to feeling better about himself, that he was doing the right thing. He had told her she couldn't understand what it felt to know that a selfish action on your part could have caused massive suffering on another. She had said something and looked like she was about to burst, but he had been too wrapped up in himself to notice. In fact, now that he looked back on it, there were a lot of clues to this that he had missed. When she had woken up from St. Mungos all those months ago, she had sat up rigged and terrified. That was the second time she had woken up there, knocked out and unaware of what had happened to her. That must have brought back such fearful memories. And she kept staring intently at the ceiling above her when he told her where she was. At first he had thought it was all just a weird side effect from the potion, but now he realized that the Janus Thickly word was a level above them. Her father very well may have been right above their heads.

He felt closer to her then he ever had before. For as polar opposite as they seemed in personality, she truly knew what it was like to go through what he had gone through. She didn't just empathize, she knew. She knew the feelings of betrayal and selfishness would never go away, that no matter what anyone else said about time your broken heart and family would eternally be carried through your life. But she also knew, and figured out long before he ever did, that it was not enough just to punish yourself by living in the past. She knew that the only way to ever come close to making amends was to be the best and most efficient family member, friend, and person you could be. She had given her life to David and Ama it seemed, and though she was clearly pained and burdened by her past, it was also clear by the way she smiled at the end of her tale that she was happy with the person that she was and the way she was handling the life she had left.

Well, she was almost happy. For there was one more thing Percy wondered about. He had learned that the opposite of selfish wasn't total selflessness, that without fulfilling certain specific needs of your own you could never fully fill the needs of others. And while Audrey always seemed to know Percy better then he knew himself, there were a few things he had picked up on her as well.

"Your artwork," he said seriously, staring at her intently. "You've stopped because of what happened, didn't you?"

Audrey's eyes widened in surprise and her smile stumbled. She clearly had not expected him to pick up on and suggest that of all things.

"Yeah," she shrugged, somewhat guiltily. "I mean, what was I supposed to do? I needed money. I'm practically supporting four people. My days of being a starving artist are behind me."

"I don't believe that," he replied firmly, knowing he was pushing his luck. The angry look returned to Audrey's face.

"What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a steady income as an artist? There's no way…"

"You've pretty much given up on your art flat. Your brother and sister are in town now, your working on this project with me, and you visit your father. I understand that takes up a lot of your time. But before the summer? When the kids were back at Hogwarts and you only worked as a clerk, albeit full time, but were hardly ever needed after hours? How much art did you do then?"

Audrey looked at him fiercely, and her mouth opened to argue. But no sound came through.

"I understand you feel guilty, that painting again, even a little bit, makes you feel like you'll go back, that it will remind you of what you did. But I've seen your work and it's amazing. You are an artist, Audrey Larrabee, just like I'm a Ministry worker. You claiming to be anything else is just a lie. I know you need the money, but you can definitely work and try to make it as an artist at the same time, all while being super-mom."

Audrey bit her lip and smiled in a sort of I-can't-help-it way, and her eyes shined back at him.

"You don't believe that," she said quietly, shoving him lightly.

"If anyone could wear all three hats, it would be you," he replied seriously. Audrey laughed.

"Well, I do look marvelous in hats," she agreed. Audrey then looked off in to the distance, as though seriously mulling over what he had just told her. He could almost sense a heightened feeling of enlightenment for her, and prayed he had just done something that came close to what she had done countless times for him.

After awhile she looked back at him, realizing the amount of time she had spent in her own head.

"Oh, look who I'm listening to! 'I won't go back', you went back to the Ministry and you're practically a workaholic!" she joked.

"True," he replied with a grin. "But you should have seen me a few years. I was a cot short of permanent residence there. Now I visit my family all the time, I have a guy's night out on Thursday, I would have never have asked you out tonight…"

Percy felt himself blush at the terminology he had just used, and found that he and Audrey were locked in an intimate silence.

"Audrey?" he asked quietly, leaning closer to her as they remained seated on the bridge wall. "Are we okay? I know what I did to you was wrong and invasive, but I was just really worried. I don't… I don't think I could handle it if you were so mad at me that…"

"Percy," Audrey interrupted quietly, in that raspy tone she had used while flirting heavily with him in the office. That tone that had seeped its way into his dreams at night and made his body shiver. He stopped speaking immediately as Audrey pulled herself as close to his side as she could. She reached out her hands to stroke his face softly. Her fingers laced up into his hair and curled around his locks. He let out a light gasp, and his hands began to lightly caress her outstretched arm. Her fingers retreated from his curls and returned to his face, cupping it lightly with one hand as the other slowly removed his glasses, laying them down carefully beside her. They were so close he could see her clearly through his own vision for the first time. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. Her hand came back quickly to his body, crawling lightly up his chest. She tried to move even closer to him as she moved her face towards his. Percy felt an overwhelming elated sensation as he closed his eyes, so eager to finally feel her lips against his own. He was in such an ecstatic state he felt like he was walking on air… or perhaps, more specifically, falling through it.

He felt the hand that lay on his chest push him abruptly, and with his mind so focused on other things, and his arms held lightly in the air instead of bracing himself, he fell easily backwards, landing with a large splash in the cool water below. He was shocked when he found himself submerged and swam to the top as quickly as he could, inhaling loudly. He quickly found his feet, the water came up to his chest, and the current didn't flow so forcefully as to knock him off. He shook his head to clear out some of the water, and looked up stunned into the blurry sky.

"Now we're okay!" he heard Audrey yell through a fit of giggles somewhere above him.

"Audrey!" he screamed, bobbing in the water, "I can't believe you did…" His scold was cut off by another splash besides him. When the wave cleared he heard Audrey's continued laughter as she swirled in the water. Percy swam next to her.

"You pushed me in the river!" he exclaimed.

"Good observation, Mr. Weasley," she giggled back. Percy remained confused.

"I could have hurt my head, we both could have!"

"Oh, pish posh, my dad used to throw us in the river all the time. It's plenty deep; my head hardly stays out of the water when I stand!"

"Well, as amusing as that may have been ten years ago, you shouldn't have done it now!" he reprimanded softly, grabbing her shoulders lightly so he could see her as best he could and not lose her in the current. "There have been a series of droughts and floods since then, causing fluvial fluctuation. New debris have shifted in from upstream. Who knows what the Muggles who have bought this place have put in the water to make it…"

As usual in his rants, he was interrupted. Unlike the past times, however, it was not with words, or splashes, crashes or cries from someone else. It was with lips. Audrey's lips to be precise, and her arms wrapping themselves around his neck. Percy stood rigidly still, shocked at this sudden incident. But all the confusion vanished when he realized just how soft her lips were. Then, nothing else in the word mattered. It didn't matter that he had rocks in his shoes or that a floating stick was pressed against his back. All that mattered was her. He parted his lips to taken in hers, removing his hands from her shoulders down to her submerged waist. They pulled apart briefly, before embracing once more, giving Percy a chance to be fully aware of what was happening and letting him enjoy it completely. She pulled away with a smile, much, much too soon.

"What…what was that for?" he sputtered dumbly. Audrey's smile grew.

"For caring so much about me to risk looking at my file. For not lying to me about it afterwards and coming clean, convinced it would end our relationship. For trying to make my life better as soon as you understood it… And for pushing you off the bridge… a little of it was to get you to shut up." She finished with a laugh, dunking herself underwater and swimming towards the shore. Percy continued to stand in an amazed stupor before following her. They hoisted themselves out of the water on the dry, grassy slope next to the river. They both laughed as they wrung out their hair and clothes. Suddenly, they found themselves laying on their sides, staring at one another. Percy braved to be the first one to speak.

"You know," he began casually, "that was an awful lot of sentiment to be expressed in one small kiss."

"True," Audrey said, laughing at his hint. "But you did also break into the Ministry and read my personnel file behind my back." Percy mouthed wordlessly before rolling on to his back in submission.

"Never gonna live that one down, am I?" he asked as Audrey chuckled in affirmation. "And I did not _break in_ to the Ministry. You make it sound like espionage."

"Weasley. Percy Weasley. Shaken, not stirred," she said curtly. "Nah, doesn't have the right ring to it."

"That's one of those weird, Muggle pop culture references you keep springing on me, isn't it?" Percy asked, shaking his head.

"_Accio _glasses!" she charmed through a giggle, holding her wand out to the bridge.

"Thanks," Percy responded a few moments later as she handed him his undamaged eyepiece. They then settled back down into the grass, staring at the sky. The great smog of London made it near impossible to see any stars, but the moon shone brightly and determinedly just the same. Percy allowed himself to return to his stupor, replaying the ecstasy he felt upon kissing the amazing and drenched woman beside him. He wondered exactly what he should do next. He felt he would do anything to be kissing her again, and the fact that she kissed him first…

But then a dark cloud appeared on the already hazy horizon. They probably shouldn't have kissed at all. She was still technically in a relationship with Max. This had prevented them from ever talking about making their relationship anything more than it was. This kiss had been so perfect and wonderful; he hated to think of it as a problem. He started struggling with what to say next when Audrey started to hum and sing softly next to him. She had a sweet, lullaby voice and he couldn't help but be enraptured by it.

"Got a feeling twenty-one is gonna be a good year

Especially if you and me see it in together.

Got a feeling twenty-one is gonna be a good year,

Especially if you and me see it in together.

I had no reason to be over optimistic,

But somehow when you smile I can brave bad weather."

Percy propped up on his elbows when she finished, slightly astonished by the tune and quite taken aback.

"That was a very sweet song," he said lightly. Audrey turned to him and smiled, laughing softly.

"It really isn't," she admitted. "It's from the rock opera Tommy by a band called The Who. The song talks about how Tommy's father returns from the war and kills his wife's lover in front of their son. In order to get away with it they tell Tommy that he didn't hear or see it, and that he will never tell anyone about it so ardently that he actually goes deaf, dumb and blind."

Percy stared at her in wonder for a moment before shaking his head good naturedly and laying back down in the grass.

"You listen to the weirdest things," he repeated.

"I know," she accepted silly smile. "But that particular verse just seemed so fitting."

They both smiled at each other, laying once again in a comfortable silence. Soon however, Percy's unrelenting head filled up with pestering thoughts and once again he was the one to break it.

"So are you going to try and patch things up with Max? he asked, trying to be casual. Audrey shook her head slightly, smiling at his obvious subtlety.

"No," she said softly but firmly. "No, that relationship should have ended a long time ago. I've just been a prat about doing it."

"He's the prat," he responded, still staring determinedly up at the sky. "He doesn't deserve to be with you, probably never did. He's too full of himself. You need someone…someone who realizes how wonderful you are, and who is determined to spend his days justifying being with you by ensuring you realize just how amazing you are."

There was another silence after he finished, but it was nowhere near as comfortable as the last. Percy closed his eyes in anguish, cursing himself for being so bold and scaring her into awkwardness. He felt movement next to him and his eyes shot open, terrified that she might be leaving. On the contrary, she had rolled on to her side and was now lying directly next to him, looking at him with a warm smile on her face.

"I think I'd love that," she said quietly, grinning nervously before her eyes finally met his. "I just hope that if there is a guy out there who feels that way about me now, he's patient enough to wait a bit while I end things properly with Max and get my head around that relationship being over. For as over and detached as I feel towards Max, I want any lingering feelings removed so there is no complication. I wouldn't want this perfect sounding man to feel like he was in a rebound relationship either."

"I'm sure he'd feel like you were worth waiting for," Percy was able to say without shaking. Audrey smiled gratefully and took her place besides him. Percy felt his heart race and his head spin. He couldn't believe how this evening had transpired! He was certain it would all end when he told her. Instead, he got a kiss. A marvelous kiss and a suggestion that if he could just wait, there might be more coming to their relationship. He didn't think he could be happier or in more ecstasy.

That was of course until he felt her soft, warm fingers intertwine with his. He eyed their hands as he gave her's a squeeze, and raised his eyebrow humorously at this contradictive action.

"What?" she asked with a laugh. "It's my birthday! I can do whatever I want."

Percy smiled and lay his head back down, wishing her birthday would never end.

_(A/N: Okay, so I know it's not exactly what you wanted, but if you are upset at having to wait, just imagine how Percy feels! I promise you things between them will start to pick up in interesting ways. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, the keep me writing faster and ensure that everything keeps interesting. Please keep reading!)_


	16. Maxwell's Silver Hammer

_**(A/N: I'd like to apologize in advance to my United Kingdom readers for a huge cultural error I have made in this chapter. I'll make further explanation at the end) **_

(Disclaimer: I do not own either Harry Potter or The Beatles, both of which seems terribly unfair.)

Ronald Bilius Weasley was not amused. And, on top of that, he was at a loss. How such a turn of events could happen so swiftly was completely beyond his grasp. In order to try and understand his predicament fully, he prepared a mental check list. One that would be used against his assailants in order to right the horrible wrongs that had transpired:

One: At age twelve he had summoned enough bravery and skill to play the best game of chess Hogwarts had ever seen.

Two: He had enough athletic ability to ensure his place as Keeper his last two years at school, not only making him a massive contributor to Gryffindor's winnings, but meriting his own theme song.

Three: He had personally either destroyed by hand or brought about the unfolding of at least two Horocruxes with his nerve, love, memory and impeccable timing.

Four: He had been tactful enough to know that after Hermione initiated that first, breath taking kiss, he would have to prove his feelings for her next. And, with a rocky start, he had been successful.

Five: He had fought just as or more diligently than anyone at the Battle of Hogwarts. After all, Voldermort was after his best friend, planned to exterminate the woman he loved, and had already done more than enough to rip a family of lesser moral caliber than the Weasleys apart.

And what had he done afterwards, as other battle heroes took on exciting and high profile careers to rebuild the world? He took a job as a humble clerk in his brother's shop, to keep up his spirits and ensure the shattered twin remained bridged to his family like he belonged. On most accounts, this made Ron Weasley a man. A man who used his brain to solve problems, his bravery when confronting them, and his heart when it came to those who were most important. On most accounts, Ron Weasley was a respected and highly sought after member of society. Any society.

Except when it came to that of his two younger ruddy older brothers.

How soon these brothers forgot about his strong points. How quickly it seemed to slip the mind of the pompous prat Percy how warmly and genuinely Ron had accepted his return after his pugnacious split from the family. How strange it was of the grinning git George to forgo his gratitude for Ron remaining by his earless side. How inexplicable it was that the two of them had spent their whole lives rowing and bickering over personality differences, only to ever be easily united over one, cruel and unusual cause.

Picking on Ron. Or, as they so irritably put it, Ronniekins.

Don't get him wrong, Ron thought irritably, he was glad the two seemed to be getting along. It amazed him how much he had actually missed Percy's presence. He wasn't nearly as ostentatious as Ron remembered. Hermione had cleared through this seemingly messy memory by suggesting they had both grown older, and Percy had gone through more than enough to set his priorities towards his family. Ron accepted this as true and dropped the last of his guard around his third older brother, finding him to be more than just pleasant and supporting, but fun-loving, rambunctious and, well, more Weasley like than he had ever given the bloke credit for. He was also able to feel gratitude towards Percy for the first time. His picky and pretentious nature had overshadowed the fact that when it came to being teased and tortured by the twins when they were all younger, it had normally been Percy who had either stopped the twins himself or called for their mother without regard for being slandered as a tattle tale. Percy had also never been afraid of spiders.

Ron had also grown much closer with George over the last year. Most people who knew George saw him as part of a single organism known as "the twins". But you weren't brothers, living in the close quarters they had through their life, without learning individual idiosyncrasies. Compared to Fred, George had been the quieter one. He was more apt to looking before leaping (though when his twin was by his side, he was fairly willing to jump blindly and with a smile). And, though you had to know just how to look, he was more sensitive and insightful. This made George a practical businessman, both in the upkeep of the shop and seeing that his new products made their way through the manufacturing process.

However, George was obviously in dire straits. He had seriously considered closing the shop after Fred's death. Fred had been the big idea man. The one with the most nerve. The one who saw where they were and where they wanted to be, leaving it mostly to George to figure out how to get there. It had been a remarkably efficient and seemingly effortless system. They had been so in sync and connected with each other that they could even swap roles and yield similarly successful results. Together, they thought they could do anything.

So, logically, George figured that apart, he could do nothing.

It was Ron who made George change his mind. George had taken to staying locked up alone in his flat, unwilling to leave or even eat. The Weasley clan took it upon themselves to look after him, stationing a family member with him round the clock. Desperate to get him out of a funk, Ron tried to motivate George into doing something productive, and approached him with a notebook that had been filled with half ideas the twins had jotted down, deciding to work out the kinks later. Ron sat with George, trying to brainstorm. And Ron was absolutely horrible at doing so.

George had gotten so fed up with his wretched ideas that a joke slipped out at his brother's expense. It had hit both of them that it was more the kind of thing Fred would have said. Excited, though unsure why, Ron continued trying to fix the dead end problems. George continued to insult, generally at first, but then focus more specifically on the ideas at hand. He explained why Ron's idea was idiotic in the most colorful way possible, and then gave a dozen better solutions off the top of his head. After giving a particularly nasty comment on the shape of Ron's nose, George couldn't help but notice Ron's toothy grin. Ron answered for his smile with a detailed list of all the things George had just suggested.

This placed the remaining twin in shock. He had never thought like that before. He had never had to. These certain things were Fred's expertise. As he grabbed the list from Ron's hands, he couldn't believe such ideas had come from him. The only answer he could come to was that they hadn't. They had come from Fred. The part of Fred that had been permanently placed in George's brain that made him know what Fred would say or do before he did it. It was how he knew what Fred would think, even when he thought in a different way.

It was nothing like having his twin back. Yet realizing the bond and connection they had ran so deep that it continued after Fred's death made it seem like he was not entirely gone. That was the day George got up, the week he perfected a product on his own, and the month he re-opened the store to a grand success. And though Ron was useless at inventing joke products, he was, in a sense, a muse of sorts. Or, as George told him to his face, the brick wall in which he bounced his ideas off of.

Separately, both brothers eternally thanked Ron. Ron knew Percy felt dreadful for not being there to support and protect his younger brother during the trials of the war. Ron knew George was forever grateful for helping him pull himself back together and continue with his life the best way possible. While alone with either of them he felt like a well respected, equal adult.

But get the two of them together and Ron was reduced to the youngest, whiney brother who ran to mom (and now Hermione) when ever picked on too much.

"Look Ron, all I'm saying is you're not the most graceful of runners…or flyers… or much else for that matter," George grinned to his little brother from his adjacent bar stool.

"Yeah, so?" Ron replied irritably, looking into his near empty butterbeer bottle.

"Don't forget the sloppy handwriting and poor wand waving habits you have, stemming from a lack of proper motor skills," Percy added in a good natured seriousness between popping peanuts in his mouth.

"And just what does that have to do with any of this?" Ron demanded. Even George looked a little quizzical at this addendum, unsure of Percy's train of thought.

"It leaves one with bad finger dexterity," Percy explained simply, stretching out his digits in example. George barked out a laugh and banged on the bar counter as Ron's ears turned a terrific shade of red.

"I'm not having this conversation with the two of you," Ron exclaimed, climbing to his feet.

"Oh, sit back down!" George demanded with a laugh as Percy reached out a long arm to push Ron back on to his seat. "We're only trying to help."

"By what, making me feel completely incompetent in an area where…where you two have no grounds to judge me on!" Ron said flustered.

"Now Ronald, it is always best that you listen to the advice of your wiser, much more experienced elders," Percy retorted calmly.

"Yeah, even if the elders have spent my whole life screwing with me?"

"Screwing with you?" George said in a shocked tone. "We are far from wanting to screw with you. We're here to ensure you aren't haunted by your past mistakes and your obvious handicaps. I mean, you chased Hermione around for what, a decade? Now that you finally have her, we'd hate to see you lose her because you were a lousy shag."

Ron's whole face began to radiate.

"Why would you even say that! You have no clue what I'm like when we…er…sleep together," Ron cried.

"For all the reasons we just gave you, Ronniekins!"

"Honestly Ron, you really ought to learn to listen. Then when Hermione does give you her complaints you can work on your improvements."

"Hermione has never once given me a complaint!" Ron stated through his pressed, glowing lips.

"That's because she's a good, old fashioned girl," Percy explained. "Trust me, I dated one of those. They're too modest to ever say anything like that."

"Ha! Then how can you try and give me any advice! You may have bombed out with Penelope and she just never said anything," Ron pointed out triumphantly.

"Have you seen the little number he shacked up with after her?" George asked with a devilish grin. "She's a real vixen piece of work. I hear even after a year apart she still wants more. No way a girl like that continues to go back to a bloke who doesn't give a good shag."

"Plus, I have always had excellent penmanship," Percy added lightly, though his neck was starting to red as well.

"Look, I have no idea what you two are going on about. Hermione and I are great in every aspect of our relationship!"

"You may think that, but does she?" George asked earnestly and with a hint of innuendo.

"I would think I would know if I was leaving my girlfriend unsatisfied!"

"I don't know if you'd be able to judge that. All that broomstick riding has probably made you less sensitive in that particular area," Percy stated, taking one of the final swigs of his drink to keep himself from laughing.

"That's a load if I ever heard one! Tons of blokes fly with no…damage. George has flown longer then I have and…"

"Oh, did no one ever give you the protective enchantment?" George asked without skipping a beat. "I'm sure I told you… must have been Harry…"

For a moment it looked like Ron's eyes were about to pop out of his head. His entire body seemed to have heated up, and he shook slightly as though he were about to explode.

"You guys are both assholes," Ron muttered after finally taking a deep breath. He grabbed his empty bottle and left his brothers' company, heading to the bar proper to get another drink.

"Hey, we're both empty here if you want to bring us another round!" Percy shouted to his retreating head.

"And an Evening Prophet! I want to read about how sorely the Cannons lost!" George added, slightly grouchy. They waited until Ron disappeared into the crowd, seeing only the long outstretched arm showing a pronounced finger before they busted out into laughter.

"You know," George said, wiping a tear from his eyes as they quieted down. "You'd think after nearly twenty years it would either get old or he'd become immune to it, but I swear it's better every time."

"I agree," Percy replied with a grin. "It is far too easy. By now he should know how great of a kid he is. I mean, he helps save the world, wins a terrific girl, adored by all, and yet we can wile him up into total self-consciousness in just a few sentences."

"To be fair, we do have the expertise that comes with a lifetime of ragging on him," George offered happily. After saying that however, his smile flickered a bit and he looked over at the bar with a bit of apprehension. "You don't think we were a bit _too_ harsh on him, do you?"

Percy thought for a moment. It was quite a thing to so directly insult one's manhood. And as strongly as Ron had grown up, it was still clear he carried the weight of being the youngest brother in such an extraordinary family. Percy did feel a bit guilty, but then perked up when he remembered how this conversation started.

"Na, he'll be fine. We're his big brothers. It's our job to rough him up some and keep him on level. Besides, he deserved it for going on about having a girlfriend and pointing out that we we're single," Percy assured.

"Ah yes, I nearly forgot about that," George replied. "In that case we gave him far too much mercy."

Percy let out a laugh, drinking the last of his drink and soaking in the sights. He was in a pub, a proper Wizarding one, with his brothers after running into them at the Innovative Spells, Charms and Potions Expo. He had originally gone with Seeley, Zek and Alistair. The four of them had wandered happily around the booths, taking in the new magic and enjoying the night. Of course, the Weasley Wizard Wheezes had its own rather large section, run by a handful of clerks including Ron. It was one of the busiest booths and Percy was quiet surprised to see George absent, as the store was his baby. Ron had quickly, and slightly enviously, cleared up the matter by explaining George was off looking at the new available charms and potions to see if he could be inspired. This was understandable of course as he was always on the move to create new products. But it was the middle of the evening and the Expo was in full swing. George had been there all day. Surely he had had ample time to peruse the aisles in the morning so he could be available during the rush when all hands were needed? Ron too had been lamenting this, as he had been left in charge of the full set up, and had been running from booth to booth, helping customers and new employees, all the while ensuring the miniature dragon display next to them didn't catch any of the merchandise on fire.

Percy's inquiry was quickly answered when he saw George coming down the aisle, holding a big bag in his hand and an even bigger smile on his face while talking adamantly with Angelina.

"Bloody hell!" Ron moaned, catching sight of his boss' sudden appearance. "Couldn't the flirting and charm wait?"

"Come on Ron," Percy nudged happily. "Let's be supportive. George deserves some companionship."

"I've been supportive!" Ron whispered loudly as the couple approached. "She comes to the store near every day, they talk for ages, and then he walks around in a happy daze for awhile. I tell him to just get on with it but he snaps at me and tells me to shove it."

"Yes, they have seemed to be doing that annoying dance for awhile," Percy commented, giving a wave to Angelina as George handed her back her bag before she left. "But, then again, dragging things on a bit does seem to be a motif for Weasley men."

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but decisively shut it and returned to business. Percy couldn't help but grin knowing he too was guilty of this seemingly genetic defect, and walked onward to talk to his other brother. George did seem to be in quite an elated mood though he attributed it to the success of his sales. To celebrate he decided to take further leave from his booth and joined Percy's group in touring the rest of the Expo. Ron was left livid, and George left him hanging until half an hour before close up, finally relieving him of duty and pointing him to the latest broomstick designs, which was all Ron had really wanted to see. As further treat he offered to take Ron out to a pub to drink away a job well done, especially as he already had the night off from Hermione.

Percy had decided to join his brothers and said good bye to his friends. It was great hanging out, just the three of them, outside of the shop or the Burrow. It reminded Percy how glad he was to be back with his family. He felt a warm sense of affection for his younger brother as he walked back in a huff, carrying a tray full of butterbeers. He threw the paper down in front of George and sat between his brothers, nursing his drink and snorting in irritation. George and Percy gave each other an amused look behind Ron's back, and they both shook their heads as they began damage control.

"Thanks, Ron," George said happily, grasping his shoulder affectionately before he flipped through his paper. "And don't listen too closely to us. We obviously aren't experts on keeping our girlfriends happy, seeing as neither of us have one."

"Yeah," agreed Percy warmly. "We love Hermione, and we know you'd do anything for her. I'm sure she is completely satisfied."

"But you got me all paranoid!" Ron exclaimed, breaking his silence. "What if she hasn't been saying what's on her mind, and she is just pretending to…enjoy it?"

George and Percy couldn't help but tuck back a laugh at how effectively they had burrowed into Ron's mind.

"Look," George said off handedly as he turned the page away from political news over to sports and entertainment, "we were just yanking you. But if you really are worried about her holding back, we aren't the ones to ask. If you really want to know, ask Ginny."

"Ginny?" Ron asked quizzically.

"Yeah, genius, Ginny. They're best friends. Girls tell each other everything. And I mean everything," George stated as he sank into an article.

"Surely not everything…I mean I know… but she's my sister! That's just so…awkward. Her knowing and me asking." Ron stuttered.

"This is true," Percy said, giving the predicament some thought. "Ask Harry then."

"Now Harry knows!?!" Ron cried.

"Not necessarily, probably just if you're bad. I doubt Ginny would regale her boyfriend of her brother's sexual superiority. But, if you had done something stupid, she might tell Harry in a comparison tale, or just because it was funny."

"Great," Ron groaned, throwing his forehead against the table. "That's going to be a lovely conversation." Percy smiled and looked over at George to share the amusement. However, George was looking steadfastly, almost angrily down at his newspaper.

"That rat bastard!" George growled, clutching the paper tightly.

"What's the matter?" Percy asked concernedly. His brother's voice seemed to shake him out of his angry trance, and George quickly tried to hide his rage.

"Nothing! Well, no, it's something. Something bad," he explained lamely.

"Something bad?" Percy asked, growing slightly worried. "Let me see." But George seemed reluctant to hand the paper over. Percy could almost feel George's mind whirling, deciding what he should do.

"What is it?" Ron asked, leaning over still annoyed. "If it's some stupid Ministry mishap he's gonna have to deal with it tomorrow so just let him…That rat bastard!" Ron grabbed the paper from George's grip and stared at it fastidiously. His mouth hung open slightly but his brow was quite furrowed.

"What's the matter?" Percy repeated, becoming anxious and angry with every moment that his little brothers sat in a loud silence. Ron and George both exchanged a worried glance before fixing their eye line on Percy. Still, neither spoke a word.

"Either give me the paper or I'll find another one. I'll see it no matter what so stop playing this game and quit hiding it from me!" Percy demanded furiously. Slowly, Ron released his hold on the paper, allowing Percy to snatch it away, but not before giving him a sorrowed look.

Percy quickly scanned the page that had been making such a fuss. Like Ron suggested, Percy expected it to be something involving his office at the Ministry. He was therefore slightly shocked when he realized it was the gossip page in the sports and entertainment section. They both knew Percy never cared for or followed any of this stuff, and he was about to reprimand them for pranking him when his eye was caught by a familiar person in a picture. It was a photo of two, extremely athletic looking people in street clothes, each holding shopping bags as they embraced very passionately and very publically outside a chic shopping area. The woman was vaguely familiar, and from the caption below he recognized her as one of Ginny's teammates whom she often complained about having a sore attitude. The man whose throat she continually shoved her tongue down however needed no caption for Percy to place. His classically handsome features, dark hair, and muscular (though short) body had been a plaguing feature in Percy's life all summer. He had been a scapegoat for the distraction of his work, and later, his happiness. And for the past week, had been MIA to the girlfriend who desperately needed to have a chat with him.

"_Well," _said a voice in Percy's mind as panic began to sink in, _"it looks like Max has done the dumping for her. Good for us, huh, now that that is all out of the way?"_

Percy jumped from his place, throwing the paper down on the table and knocking his bar stool down as he ran.

"THAT RAT BASTARD!" Percy yelled, as he exited the pub and Apparated as soon as the space was clear; not caring if anybody saw or was offended by his language.

Percy arrived in the alleyway way with a 'pop' and took to a run as soon as he found his feet. As he knocked the moldy refrigerator box out of the way, he thought about what he had just seen, and what it meant.

Three nights ago, on her birthday, he and Audrey had shared a kiss. It had been a spectacular moment, and every raw fiber Percy possessed screamed to pick her up out of the water, lay her on the bank, and explore her in ways he'd only done in his daydreams. But after a few, glorious seconds, she had pulled away. She and Max were still officially dating, and as short as the contact had been, it was far from innocent. And as whimsical and open-minded as she was, Audrey was never one to cheat. Though not quite what Percy wanted to hear, Audrey assured him that she was ready to end things with Max as soon as he returned from his playoffs tour. She also alluded to, though not in so many words, the possibility that she may want to pursue and relationship with him.

Percy went to bed that night, slightly damp, and head buzzing with possibilities. Until now his feelings for Audrey had been scrambled. He attributed his endearment and jealousy on other things, subconsciously at first, and later intentionally, to keep himself from hoping. He knew if he recognized what his feelings really were, he would no longer be able to enjoy them. What was the point in knowing you wanted to be with someone who would never want to be with you? He was stuffy, pretentious while at the same time harboring a slew of self-confidence issues, seemingly humorless and by many counts a traitor. He didn't think himself particularly good looking, and though he was intelligent he was also said to be belligerent. He didn't have any money worth mentioning or hold any kind of power. He was far from popular and felt completely charmless. Why would a girl like Audrey ever even give him a look?

Yet, as he began to fade into some much needed sleep, he couldn't help but comb over their past relationship in a new light. She was a very amiable person in general, but she had been more than nice to him. She had gone out of her way to care countless times. Their idiosyncrasies, though vastly different, complemented each other well. She was able to poke fun and tease him without ever being rude, in fact she even made him laugh about himself. They had an amazing report, worked and lived fantastically with one another despite different styles. She often went out of her way to give him little, reassuring touches. Nothing too bold or inappropriate, but they were frequent, and Percy had noticed she was much more affectionate with him than other colleagues or friends, even George, whom she had known the longest.

And, most importantly, they shared the same burden. They both knew what it was like to have made mistakes that haunted them, and they had both came to the same conclusion to focus their energy in making amends to their family members for their past transgressions. People had often empathized with them both, downplaying what they had done and saying things were fine now. But they didn't understand that owning up to their mistakes was a lifetime process, that nothing they did would ever erase what happened, and how cautious they had to be when ever exploring a self- centered urge. Though they had thrown themselves into their families, they had also placed themselves in a lonely exile as they had chosen to make the rest of their lives centered around making up for the worst thing they had ever done. Knowing someone else truly understood how he felt and continued to want to stand by him despite his haunted past touched and elated him in ways he never thought possible.

The next day at the office Percy began to cast his doubts again. He worried things would be awkward, that she would deliberately shun him and he would have to fall from the tower of excitement he had built. But when he saw her that morning they both broke out into similar, sheepish grins as they immediately gravitated to one another. They both laughed a little nervously before she presented him coffee, and they sat down to work the same as always. The only comment that passed between the two of them about their conversation was Audrey informing him she expected Max to come home sometime this week. Nothing more was said, but it backed the seriousness of her intention to break it off, get over it, and move on.

For three days neither of them had heard a word from Max. The Arrows weren't playing in any tournament until the weekend, and one of the Beaters had been spotted by Alistair in his department. His absence had been a strain. Percy desperately wanted him to show up so Audrey could end the relationship, but another part of him feared the famous athlete's arrival and his probable ability to charm his way back into a witch's good graces.

But Percy would have been glad for Max to have had burst into his office earlier that week, with a bouquet of roses for Audrey and an iron fist for him then for what had actually happened.

The headline had read "Off The Pitch Romance for Long Time Rivals", accompanied with the photograph of the Harpy harlot practically sealed to Max's face. Percy hadn't bothered to read the rest of the article, nor did he care to. All that mattered to him was getting to Audrey.

The second he reached the stoop of Audrey's flat he yanked on the thick oak door. It remained steadfastly locked in place.

"_Alohomora!" _ he shouted, casting the charm with his wand in one hand while pulling the now unlocked door open with the other. He let the door crash loudly into the wall due to his haste and unnecessary force. If his mind hadn't been so preoccupied, he might have been more aware of the racket he had created.

"What is all this? INTRUDER! INTRUDER!" a loud Irish voice crackled, followed by a stream of high pitched yelps. Percy stopped dead in the lobby, spinning around to face the voice of Mrs. Ainsley who came running down the darkened corridor.

"No, Mrs. Ainsley, I just came here to see…"

"INTRUDER!" she repeated, and Percy had just enough time to see the crazed look in the old woman's face and the dusty old revolver in her hand before she accented her cries with a squeeze of the trigger.

It was at this point in time Percy thanked his stars that his father had chosen to work in the field of Wizard-Muggle relations. Most wizards may have looked inquisitively at the artifact held in her hand, and scoffed that such a thing with no blades, poison or magic could do anyone any kind of harm, short of throwing it at someone. But Percy had tagged along side his father as a child long enough to know the real dangers that came from the lead bullets, and dropped to the floor the second he saw her ready. This quick action, plus the fact that in her hurry Mrs. Ainsley had forgotten her glasses, saved his life, for when Percy opened his eyes he saw a small smoking hole in the wooden panel board behind him, right at chest level.

Mrs. Ainsley herself seemed somewhat shocked at what had transpired, or at least she didn't seem intent on firing again, giving Percy enough time to collect himself and stand up slowly.

"Merlin's beard," he muttered to himself, clutching his pounding heart.

"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Ainsley demanded, though less threatening. "How did you get in here? I shall call the police I will!"

"I…I have a key," Percy thought up quickly, dipping into his pockets and pulling out the newly materialized replica of the silver key he had seen Audrey use.

"A key? But you don't live here!" Mrs. Ainsley shouted desperately. "It's that trampy girl Larrabee on the fourth floor I've seen you with, I have! I see the matter now! The two of you, living in sin. I wondered where that brunette brute of hers had gotten off too! I'll throw her out on the streets for this!"

"No, I'm not with her!" Percy explained quickly. "I'm with Captain Reilly. I'm his nephew. I come in to town from time to time and Uncle gave me his extra key so I can stay with him. Audrey is just his neighbor who I've talked to sporadically, as neighbors do, and we just happened to come in together at the same time."

Percy held his breath as Mrs. Ainsley took in that information. Percy had heard Audrey talk about her aged, slightly crazed neighbor before, and hoped he was out of sorts enough for the landlady to believe he would require the assistant of a family member. He could literally see the woman struggle, and she finally showed some remorse for almost murdering kin of a tenet.

"Well, keep it down next time! I don't know where you're from but here we don't go about shouting foreign words at doors and waking the whole place up for Jesus' sakes!" she condemned before scooping up her rabid poodle and returning to her room.

Shaken by this near death experience yet in too much of a rush to process, Percy bounded up the steps as quickly as he could to Audrey's door, intent on nothing else getting in his way. He knew if Audrey had already read the article she would be in shambles over Max's very public infidelity. And with her family underage and no close friend in the area to speak of, Percy, though not the most impartial of people in this matter, was all she had. He braced himself for the worst as he knocked loudly on her door.

She took a few seconds longer than normal to answer, but the door swung open without hesitating to ask who was there.

"Percy!" Audrey squealed loudly and gleefully, giving Percy only a second to see that she was clad only in an old baggy t-shirt that didn't even make it halfway down her thighs before she embraced him in a tight hug, practically jumping on him in the process. His face was buried in her unkempt mane of hair and he was able to smell the sweet fermented scent of alcohol on her breath.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she said excitedly. "Come in!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him in hurriedly in to her flat before he could protest. The living room had once again descended in to anarchy. Papers, clothes and other trinkets littered the floor. Dozens of copies of the Evening Prophet lay torn and wrinkled on her coffee table. The red Quaffle which just a week before had been profoundly displayed was now lodged angrily into the cracked wall, the silver inscription now dusted with sheetrock. The place looked like how Percy imagined Audrey would feel. But Audrey on the other hand, continued to laugh and dance merrily about, stopping only when she stumbled on to her couch.

"So you've already read the Prophet," Percy stated lamely, shattering his hope that she perhaps had yet to see it.

"Oh, of course I've read it!" Audrey chuckled, "Doesn't everyone?" Percy hesitated.

"Well, statistically speaking, only about 2 out of 3 readers of the Daily Prophet also subscribe to the Evening, so no, not quite everyone." Percy closed his eyes, chastising himself on his choice of words and his horrid lack of handling situations like this.

"Oh, well that is quite a shame. Here I was, thinking I was a celebrity!"

"A celebrity?" Percy asked, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, this is my big moment!" Audrey explained, slightly hysterically. "I've never even been quoted in a paper before, let alone had my own picture and caption in a lead article." She tossed him one of the lesser damaged papers. On the continuing page of the article, in a small circle in the upper right hand side, was Audrey's picture with the caption "What Happened To The Bohemian Brunette?", followed by a short article on her previous relationship with Max.

"Maybe they'll reprint it in the morning. The article makes me out to be a sappy gold digger, but the photo they picked is absolutely fabulous!" she decreed with another cutting laugh.

"Audrey, this isn't funny," Percy said sadly as he internally filled up with anger at the slander.

"Oh I agree. It's hilarious! It's slit-you-in-the-bloody-throat comical! And most people who read this won't even know the best part! But I'll let you have the inside scoop, Mr. W." She jumped from her side of the couch over to his, half landing in his lap as she flipped the article back to the front page.

"You see when this picture was taken? That's Monday's date. That upscale shop they are snogging so efficiently in front of is the jewelry store that specializes in pink diamonds. I suppose taking your mistress with you while shopping for your girlfriend's birthday present is some kind of a turn on. Who knew?" she asked eagerly.

"Audrey…" Percy groaned through a sigh.

"You know what's even better than that best part? While I have been tearing myself apart with my conflicting feelings over the whole thing, he has been shacking up with her for weeks! Isn't that just silly of me Percy? Wasting all that energy feeling guilty when my boyfriend was out doing body shots off the Sexiest Female Athlete of the Year at a night pub in Wales? I defy you to think of something funnier!"

She once again ascended in to laughter, throwing her bare legs off the couch and stumbling towards the whitewash piano that sat in the corner. Percy felt speechless after her rant, unsure of how exactly to handle her in her delicate and drunken condition. When she reached the piano, Audrey picked up a rather full glass of wine and downed it quickly. She placed her goblet down carelessly and knocked the open wine bottle to the floor. Percy jumped up quickly in order to stop the mess, but was dismayed to find the bottle empty, rolling against a cheap cork screw and scattered foil shavings. The bottle was quiet large.

Placing the glasses to the side, Percy sat down quietly next to her on the creaking piano bench, staring at her intently. She began to play a quick and playful melody, and though her fingers moved as though proficient in playing the instrument, they were sorely handicapped by her inebriation. As the song continued the notes became sloppier, until she finally finished with an angry clang. She stared intently down at the black and yellowed keys, running her index finger along one slowly and softly, so it only gave a soft chirp when her finger reached the end.

"Audrey, I am so sorry. I don't… I don't know what to say," he admitted. Audrey finally turned to face him, her eyes dulled and her smile heavy.

"What is there to say?" she asked. "It's my own fault. I should have known better then to date a guy like him. But there is something about that particular brand of Quidditch player that had always caused me to lapse in my judgment. It was Roger Davies all over again. One moment I am a good, studious girl preparing for her OWLS, and the next I'm losing my virginity on a bench in the dressing room because he says it will home in on his concentration and help Ravenclaw towards winning the cup…"

Audrey took in a deep breath, as though trying to suck that last admittance out of the air. Upon failing to do so, she threw her head down on the piano, causing a scale of high pitched notes to echo through the room. As miserable and embarrassing the situation was however, Percy couldn't help but start to laugh. A soft clinking of keys announced that Audrey too was shaking in genuine laughter, and when she finally raised her head to look at Percy, her face shone red.

"Look Audrey," Percy began after the last of his soft chuckles, "this is not your fault. Max is a bloody idiot to have done this to you. He was more than lucky to have you, and to throw it away on a second string Chaser with fried blonde hair was the dumbest move the bloke could have made. And as much as I love Fleur and as … classy as Roger was, he was an idiot too. Guys should be killing themselves to get to you."

"_Or at least getting shot at by mad Irish women in moo-moos," _he thought.

Audrey smiled brightly at his comment, pushing her dark messy hair up on her head so it fell lightly to the side. She bit her lip as she did so, eyeing him keenly.

"Thank you Percy. You're a really good man," she said, and slid down the bench to wrap her arms around him in a hug.

"I just wish there was more I could do for you," he replied, holding her tightly as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. He was prepared to simply hug her for as long as she needed the affection. But, his body couldn't help but become alert when she started to nuzzle against his neck. He couldn't help but notice how her hand had crept to the other of his face and was slowly running up into his hair, massaging his skin and scalp lightly with slow yet determined fingers. He felt his heart begin to race and his skin taunt in excitement as she brushed her lips ever so softly against his earlobe. His blood began to rush as her free hand slid slowly up his leg…

"Audrey," he said suddenly, quickly grabbing her hand so as to stop it from going any further. She pulled away from him, grinning playfully as she stared at him with burning, lustful inflection. The mere sight was enough to make him harden.

"Yes, Percy?" she asked softly, tilting her head so her hair fell across her face. Percy had to take a second to remind himself of what he had meant to say.

"I think… I think we are getting a little too close for comfort," he stated diplomatically.

"Isn't that why you came over here? To comfort me closely?" she inquired, pushing her hair back once more. Percy's stomach flipped.

"Audrey," he repeated, firmly but with a smile on his face, "You have had a hell of a night and far too much to drink. And though I agree that getting smashed was probably the only thing to do in this particular situation, the path we're on right now… will just lead to regrets that aren't worth ruining our friendship."

Audrey stared at him for a few moments, and Percy worried he hadn't found the correct words to ensure he put a stop to what was happening without making her feel dejected. Luckily, after a short time she began to beam at him.

"It seems I was dead on with my previous statement. You truly are a good man."

"I'm a bloody pansy is what I am," Percy groaned, throwing his elbow down on the keys and burying his face in his hands. Audrey laughed.

"No, you made the right call. I'm sorry," she stated, grabbing the hand closest to her that rested on the keys soundlessly. "But Percy, know I don't regret a single moment with you."

Percy turned to look at her earnest face. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Nor do I." They both smiled warmly before letting go.

"You want to hear the song I wrote tonight?" she asked cheerfully.

"Of course," he responded good-naturedly. Audrey grinned before spinning back towards the piano, playing a newly familiar tune.

"_Audrey was quizzical  
Studied 'bout the physical  
Arts in the home.  
Late nights all alone with a paint tube, Oh,oh,oh,oh._

_ Maxwell Tidwell  
Was a bloke who spawned from hell  
Said he'd always be,  
True to his ba-ab-y  
Aud-ud-rey_

_ But as she stayed home and away  
The news comes from the owl…_

_ Bang Bang Maxwell's Silver Hammer came down  
Upon her head,  
Bang Bang Maxwell's Silver Hammer made sure  
That she was dead."_

"Very nice," Percy laughed, "I'm sure the Beatles would be quite proud of your rendition."

"Half of them are dead, but I'm glad to know you listened to those records I gave you," she replied with a grin. But then she let out a soft moan of discomfort and rubbed her face.

"I feel dizzy," she said pitifully, staring at her hands.

"Come on, you should get to bed before you get sick," he urged, helping her up. She climbed to her feet and began to stagger, the last of the wine finally kicking in. She wasn't able to walk but a few steps before she nearly fell. Percy grabbed her gently to save her from toppling over, and even in his arms she continued to sway.

"How is it you can play piano and change the words to a song perfectly but you can't walk the fifteen feet to your bedroom?" Percy asked half jokingly.

"What can I say, I'm a complicated woman," she responded wearily. Percy shook his head, bracing her back before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her towards her room.

"Percy?" she asked, staring down at her lap as they entered her bedroom.

"Yeah?" he responded as he began to maneuver her down to her bed.

"I'm not wearing any pants."

"I tried not to notice," he replied as seriously as he could as he lay her down. Audrey nodded, wiggling herself under the covers. Percy tucked her in as she lay back against her pillow, smoothing back her fly away hair as she settled.

"Tomorrow is going to be a bad day," she stated.

"Nonsense!" Percy stated optimistically. "Well, you will probably be pretty hung over, but the rest will be just fine. We'll get through it, I promise."

"Promise?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm nothing if not a man of my word," he assured. Audrey smiled and let out a chuckle before turning in her bed and quickly falling asleep. Percy watched her for a moment, ensuring her breathing was steady and her temperature was normal. After confirming this, he left her to her much needed sleep, turning out the lights and shutting the bedroom door behind him.

He was unsure exactly how he felt. He was proud of himself for coming to her aid and putting her to bed without much damage done. Though the most basic part of his brain was kicking him for doing so, he was glad he had practiced self restraint from Audrey's come on, despite the fact that the barest of touches sent him into frenzy. He felt protective over her and ready to help carry her through tomorrow with the best of his abilities.

But also he couldn't help but feel a little put out. He couldn't deny that seeing her so out of sorts over another man hurt. But he quickly worked in to shaking that sentiment off. Max and Audrey had dated for over half a year, and though the relationship had gone to seed by the time he had gotten to know her, there was at least initially a deep affection between the pair. He thought about his four year long relationship with Penny. The last several months they had grown into strangers, going through the motions of a relationship with no emotional backing. He was so absorbed in his work he neglected her in almost every way possible, hardly thinking about her even when they held a rare conversation. Yet even then it had been a massive blow when she announced she was leaving him. He hadn't thought of life without her and assumed they would get married. In retrospect she had made the right decision. They were both far different people then they had been in those exciting days of sneaking around the halls of Hogwarts. He had been an awful boyfriend and she seemed hardly more willing to be his girlfriend. Yet at the time he had nursed his shock by throwing himself completely into his work, forgoing any social activities and only pausing for a few hours sleep. Only when his physical needs got the best of him did he turn to another woman, and then it was only to another emotionally stunted, sexually starved workaholic, and that action still literally plagued him to this day.

Audrey had acted just as she was supposed to. It was always heartbreaking and insulting to be cheated on. And what was worse was that she had to find out about it with the rest of the nation, her name and face carried into the scandal. It was so shamelessly humiliating that Percy felt like going after Max himself, or at least burning the Prophet building down to the ground. But what Audrey really needed was someone to lean on, and Percy made a pact to himself to push aside any conflicting feelings aside and focus purely on her and what she needed. As he quietly made his way down the stairs, he began to formulate a plan for tomorrow, making a check list of the things he needed to do and figuring out exactly what plans of actions he would take for foreseeable events. He left the building quietly, pausing only to cast a shield charm in case Mrs. Ainsley waited for him, vanishing into the alley with a small 'pop', and immediately starting on what he planned to do.

_(**A/N: I totally forgot upon writing this chapter that the UK doesn't have handguns. I had one reader point this out to me, at how this would NEVER happen. I tried to clumsily cover it up in chapter 18, but than another English reader told me that even than my scenario didn't make sense. So, I profusely apologize and hope you can over look the blunder without being too withdrawn from my story. In my defense, I'm not only an American but I'm from Texas, and even though I neither own nor like guns, it is rather hard for me to imagine a whole country where no one is armed. So once again I am very sorry!)  
**_


	17. Things Learned

Things Learned

_Audrey,  
What are you so mad about?  
Call me, and we'll sit down and work it out.  
Over pancakes,  
and orange juices.  
Mend our fences make our truces._

Audrey,  
Anything is possible.  
Coffee, overcome these obstacles.  


_Moving mountains,  
Crossing oceans,  
Overcoming all emotions._

Audrey,  
Anything is possible

Hidden away,  
All the grudges that you keep.  
When they escape,  
We will get much better sleep.  
Sleep much better.

Audrey,  
What are you so mad about?  
What are you so mad about?  
What are you so mad about?

(Audrey by Walking Concert)

If there was one thing Percy Weasley had learned in his dealings with his scatterbrained yet wonderful assistant, it was this: any situation, especially the bad ones, could be positively altered with a good cup of coffee. He of course was a tea man himself, preferring only to drink the caffeinated beverage when the morning called for it. Tea was what had always put him in the right frame of mind. It was the drink of his homeland, what his mother always made to comfort him as a child, and what any rational Englishman chose to have. Yet Audrey always gravitated towards coffee, stating tea didn't quite do it for her, and was much harder to add chocolate to. She had only once made tea at the office on his request, and while she was a regular barista when it came to coffee, she somehow managed to take the simple process of dipping a bag in to a kettle of hot water a NEWT level concept, resulting in a murky and bitter tasting product. From that moment forward, Percy settled for coffee at work, and had actually become quite fond of it. Looking back at the memory however, he became quite convinced that the tea botchery was most likely self sabotage in order to keep her beverage of choice alive in the office. The thought made him smile and shake his head.

Despite his personal preferences, this particular morning was not one that merited a discussion on beverage superiority. That being said, he quickly glanced beside him at the two dancing steaming mugs which levitated at shoulder level, ensuring their continued state of fullness, before shifting the tray of hot food into one hand and knocking on the door.

No answer. Percy checked his watch. It was early, maybe a bit sooner than she would normally wake up for breakfast, but he had a feeling the morning would require some extra time. He knocked again, louder this time, knowing the raps were strong enough to carry back into her bedroom. He heard groaned mutterings from the other side of the door, but they were so soft and muffled he was unable to translate their meanings.

"Audrey? It's Percy. I can't hear what you are trying to say!"

He was answered by another round of unintelligible mumbles. He began to feel the heat of the food tray transfer past the potholder he held and his hand became uncomfortably warm. In his haste of the morning, he forgot to add the extra enchantment that kept the outside of the container cool on top of the charm he cast to keep the transferred food hot. This disturbed him slightly, as the success of the day depended on his best laid plans and he had already missed a detail. He brushed the thought off, reminding himself how little he actually cooked, and how rarer still did he cook and carry food to anyone else, and pursued confidently.

"I still can't hear you!" Percy yelled. There was a slight pause in the one sided conversation before the door finally swung open. He noted this was done by magic, as Audrey was nowhere near the door when it opened. Audrey never used magic for such simple tasks, a product of her quasi-Muggle upbringing, and he used this as an indicator of her mood. He placed the tray of food down on her scrubbed kitchen table and the coffees followed suit. Audrey was not in the kitchen, and from his view of her open door, nor was she in her bedroom. This rendered him momentarily quizzical until he once again called out her name as he took a step forward. This gave him a better view of her flat, and let him see that he was answered by a mass of slightly moving blankets that lay haplessly on her living room floor. He smiled again and walked over to the bundled organism. He settled down next to it, stretching out between it and the couch as he propped himself up by his arms.

"Audrey, are you in there?" he asked kindly.

"No," the blankets responded.

"No? Then where is she?"

"I know why you're here, Percy, and you might as well leave. I'm owling in dead today."

"Is that so?" Percy inquired in amusement, placing his hand gently on what he hoped was her shoulder. "That's too bad. If you're dead who else am I going to give my extra coffee to? My hot, freshly ground, extra strong Java roast with a hint of spiced cocoa and cinnamon?"

Another thing Percy had learned through his time with Audrey: sometimes it doesn't require Latin to say an enchantment.

After finishing his statement, an eager eye found its way through the folds and stared up at him. He waved his hand and the two mugs came floating over. He handed one towards her diplomatically and slowly but surely her head began to burrow its way out of the blankets. As she finally sat up her covers shed away. Her baggy shirt was even more wrinkled than the night before, and her messy umber hair hung limp from not being washed. Dark circles encompassed her eyes while her skin remained pale and blotchy.

"There's that beautiful face," Percy beamed honestly, handing a mug out to her.

"Oh, bugger!" she moaned, rubbing her face and smoothing out her bed head to no avail. She once again dove into her cuddly sanctuary.

"How did you manage to get yourself out here? I'm pretty sure I remember tucking you in your bed last night."

"I pulled myself out to get something to drink, and this is as far as I got," she explained through her covers. "Figured this was a good a place as any to embrace my body rejecting itself in the forms of a hangover and first day cramps."

"Sounds lovely," Percy laughed, patting her figure once again. "Why don't you try getting up and we'll see if we can rectify either or both of those problems."

"I already told you I'm not going to work. I'm not even sure at this point if I ever plan on entering the general populace again."

"I'm not talking about work, I'm talking about breakfast. Come on, I cooked the lot for you, which isn't as frightful as it sounds. Eggs, bacon, toast, beans, mushrooms; a full fry up. Not as good as my mother's mind you, but I can hold my own in this particular area of cooking…"

"You cooked breakfast for me?" she piped, once again emerging from her cocoon. Percy smiled warmly.

"You are obviously in no state to properly nourish yourself after last night's… escapade. I figured it was the least I could do." Audrey stared at him for a moment, as though seeing him in her flat for the first time that morning. A large smile crept slowly across her face before she ran her fingers through her slightly greasy hair.

"Well, I suppose the least I could do after all the trouble you went through is to eat it then," she said definitively. Grabbing the blankets around her waist, she made off to her bedroom. "Just let me put some proper trousers on."

Percy grinned, remembering her scantily clad attire from the previous evening, and tried not to let his mind wander too far over to thoughts of her shapely legs as he doled out his cooking on to her hand painted plates. She quickly returned from her bedroom, wearing a particularly crumpled pair of jeans and shabby house shoes adorned with swimming yellow ducks. She made her way back over to her couch, picked up her wand, and tapped her own head three times. Instantly, her limp hair perked back up into its usual shape, the greasy shine from her face evaporated, and her clothes smoothed themselves out. She tossed her wand on top of a pile of rubbish on her couch and made her way to the kitchen.

"That was quite a handy spell," Percy commented as he handed her her plate.

"Yes, it is times like this that make me glad I'm not a Muggle, though a shower would have been great for therapeutic purposes."

"Well, I know how inclined you are to doing things the Muggle way so I made everything really hearty to perk you up. Failing that, I also brewed a Hangover Potion." Audrey stared at him incredulously, mouth slightly agape. As composed as Percy was for this day, her intensity took him aback and he began to feel a bit nervous, though he couldn't pin down exactly why. Audrey too seemed a bit shaken by her reaction, and she began to chase her mushrooms around her plate.

"Is something wrong? Do you not like your food? I didn't know how you preferred your eggs. I tried to fry them but no matter how I plan to prepare my eggs they always wind up scrambled…"

"The food is brilliant," she interjected quietly. Percy stopped speaking, still confused over why his food seemed to be putting her in to sorts. Audrey finally looked up from her plate and noticed Percy's worried expression. She gasped out a laugh, threw a smile on her face and popped the traveled mushroom into her mouth. Percy's arched eyebrow further signaled a desire for an explanation.

"Everything is wonderful. The food, the coffee, everything. You came over last night as soon as you heard, came back this morning even after I… well, that was quite humiliating. I guess I'm a little ashamed that I seem to require so much tending to." She became quiet again, picking up her bacon and twirling it around.

"Audrey, everyone needs some tending to every now and then. I mean blimey, you take care of your siblings, your grandmother, and Merlin knows I'd be a bloody mess without you. Why shouldn't you have someone watching out for you? What happened to you would drive anyone a bit mad, and what's the point in having friends if they don't rally behind you in your time of need?" Percy asked confidently, taking his toast and buttering it nonchalantly. "As for last night you were quite fine. You should see me when I get juiced up. I start quoting Ministry by-laws at random, I sing, and I assure you my voice is nowhere near as nice as yours, and for some reason I always end up losing my socks while my trainers remain on my feet."

This caused Audrey to snort in to her coffee.

"At least it's only your socks. I've seen much worse come off when drinking," she joked.

"Glad to see your sense of humor has made it through this ordeal, you'll need it at work today."

The smile faded from Audrey's face.

"Percy, I already told you. I couldn't possibly come to work today. Everyone knowing, giving me looks of pity, whispering "how did she not know?" or "guess she couldn't keep him satisfied". It's horrific just thinking about it," she exclaimed.

"I see," Percy nodded, taking a sip of his coffee to hide his smile. Now was the time he released his ace in the hole.

"And what are you going to tell Ama if some boy breaks her heart and humiliates her so badly she never wants to leave her room again?" he asked. Audrey straightened up, eyes wide at his comment. "Are you going to let her mope about and hide away forever? Or are you going to let her cry it out, call the boy a sod, and tell her to put her best foot forward and move on, even if she hasn't yet? And what do you want to be able to tell her when she asks you what you did when a boy treated you the same way?"

Audrey stared at him, fidgeting compulsively in her seat as Percy drank his coffee calmly.

"That was a cheap shot," she finally said. Percy shrugged.

"Had to be done. Tough love so you can tough love back. You know I'm right. I know it will be hard facing others, but in a few days or weeks you'll look back and be proud of how you handled this first day. That you acted out of strength even though you felt you had none. Fake confidence works just as well in a pinch."

"And since when did you become so wise in the woes of heartache?" Audrey asked. Percy ran his fingers threw his hair.

"I believe it came from both wishing I had had the guts myself to follow through on ancient advice I knew was right, and a retrospective desire that I had done more to be an actual helpful role model to my younger siblings, rather than try and impose my pompous desires of scholastic perfection on them. Not that they didn't all come out great in spite of this, I just wish I could say I lent a helping hand in how well they all grew up."

Silence encompassed Audrey's flat. It was the silence that filled up the room when someone has spoken so honestly it leaves the other party speechless. Percy sat quietly, waiting with surprisingly little hesitation for her response. He felt no shame in his admittance to her, and was left in no doubt of its effects.

"That was quite a lot of personal growth to be undertaken so early in the morning, Percy," she whispered quietly.

"Yes. Yes, I suppose it was. If Fred were here I think he would make a comment about how it was about time my personality caught up with my big head."

"Oh bloody hell!" Audrey shouted, dropping her fork with a clang on her plate before shoving herself violently out of her chair.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked as he watched her stomp dramatically from the table. Audrey paused at her bedroom door, staring in to her room before rounding on him with an angry expression.

"To get dressed for work! You really are shameless, Percy Weasley, invoking my sense of sisterly duty while conjuring up images of your dead brother! You left me with absolutely no choice in the matter. All I wanted to do was drown myself in my woes, but no. No, you have to go all big picture on me. Well, I warn you now. I'm highly unstable at the moment and by making me go to work you're accepting full responsibility for any brash action I commit."

And with that she spun on her heel and slammed the door to her room, causing the thin walls to shake and her giant poster to ripple in her wake. Percy laughed to himself, throwing his arms behind his head as he waited for her to come out. He was immensely satisfied with himself. He believed this to be the first time he had gone out of his way to help someone and do it successfully. He had spent the night debating on just how to handle the situation. Though she had been given undeniable proof of Max's infidelity, Percy knew it wasn't so much the cheating that had thrown her off. She had acknowledged they had grown apart and was planning on ending the relationship anyways. It was how it ended, mainly how publicly it ended, that humiliated her. And Percy certainly couldn't fault her for feeling that way. But, as pigheaded and self-centered he had been all of his life, he had also learned one more thing in recent months: you can't hide away from your problems. Audrey didn't want to face a world that had known what happened to her. She was a fairly private person, and though she was incredibly friendly and outgoing, Percy knew how close she kept these things to the vest. She seemed fairly appreciative for Percy coming to help her out, but she probably didn't want the people at work to talk to her about it, whether in pity or in jest. The problem with that was her friends would wait and keep their remarks until whenever they saw her, and her absence would be more telling to the rest than if she came into work. A mental-health day, however valuable, would not be helpful in this situation. Or at least that's what he figured, never having actually taken one himself.

A few moments later Audrey emerged from her bedroom, properly yet simply dressed for work, without her normal adornments that signified her look. She finished pulling her hair back into a pony tail as she entered the kitchen.

"You going to be alright?" Percy asked, handing over her half empty mug. Audrey drained the rest of the coffee before responding.

"Yeah," she said softly, looking down at her flats. "I just feel like such a git. I should have ended it ages ago. I wanted to end it but… I can't really say why I didn't. I don't know why I worked so hard to keep it going. I didn't love him, hell at the end I didn't even like him. Gee whiz that makes me sound so pathetic." She leaned back against the counter tops, folding her arms tightly into her chest.

"You're not pathetic," Percy assured, stepping towards her and wrapping her into a hug. "If you're looking for your character foil it's that you don't give up on people you care about. Which, despite conventional wisdom, _can_ actually be a bad thing. But I won't be one to complain about that. Any sane person would have given up on me ages ago."

"Oh Percy!" she sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest. She started shaking slightly, leading him to believe she was crying, even though she did so silently. He pulled her in closer, stroking her hair and resting his head on top of hers.

"It's all going to be all right," he whispered in assurance. She moved her head in a nod, pulling away slightly so she could look up at him.

"I know," she replied back through her tear stained face. The sight of her once again disheveled appearance was enough to make his heart sink into his boots.

"It really is alright if you need a personal day," Percy said, breaking his steadfast stance.

"No, you were right. It'll be fine. Let's just do it and get the bloody day over with," she said with a determined smile. "Besides, the quarter is up in a week, the project is almost over. You need me now more than ever."

Percy flinched rigidly at her statement and stood frozen as though petrified. In all the mess with Audrey, from the Ball to the file to her birthday to the kiss to the paper and than this, he had forgotten the very reason why he saw her every day. The competition, the event in which the entire direction of his career hung, was almost over! Percy began to panic. He should have been focusing all of his attention on the project, and yet work recently had been the last thing on his mind. He had no idea where he stood after the robbery, or how Smith was doing, or anything else. He should have been living in his office, poring over files, and instead his mind had been set on…

"Are you okay, Percy?" Audrey asked, putting her head back up to his chest. "Your heart is pumping like you just ran a marathon." She put her ear over his heart and used two of her fingers to lightly tap the high speed rhythm of its beats on his shoulder.

"Bu-bum, bu-bum, bu-bum," she said softly, imitating the sound.

… someone totally worth it.

"I guess I just didn't realize we had so little time left. But we'll be alright, as long as we work hard the next week," he stated surely. Audrey smiled up at him.

"Anything you say, boss."

(I left this chapter comparatively short for a few reasons. First off, school is back in swing and I don't have a lot of free time for writing again. Secondly, I just thought such an incredibly sweet scene looked good on its own. And thirdly, the rest of the chapters are probably going to be long. I finished the outline for the rest of the story. Six more chapters, very complex and compacted. I figured one more sweet and simple chapter was due. It will probably be a while before I update again. I'm going to Spain in a few weeks and have stuff to do before and after to prepare. But the story will continue, and I hope you like what happens next. Thank you sooo much for reading and reviewing!)


	18. The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

"I don't believe it!" Audrey exclaimed as she trudged up the stairs.

"I'm being serious," Percy responded from a few steps back. "I didn't even get a chance to explain myself and she started shooting at me. I was able to cover up my break in so we don't have to worry about a magic breach but your landlady really is a nutter…"

"Well, yeah," Audrey replied, as though this statement could go without saying. Something obviously continued to trouble her however and she stopped midway up the flight, spinning around to face Percy with a look of bothered curiosity.

"But what I can't understand is how the old bat had a gun in the first place? The Muggles here have massively tight restrictions on gun ownership, there is no way she could just go out and purchase a handgun…"

It was now Percy's turn to stop dead in his tracks.

"That's what you're focusing on? The fact that she somehow illegal obtained a firearm? Not to worry that she nearly blew my head off with it, she just shouldn't have had it in the first place?!?" he demanded huffily. Audrey bit her lip guiltily, revealing the accuracy that this was actually what went through her mind. Percy shook his head and continued up the stairs without her.

"I'm sorry!" Audrey called out as she hurried after him, despite the fact that her apology contained traces of a giggle.

"No, I see how it is. I come to your flat twice to make sure you're okay, cook you breakfast and get you out into the real world. Then, not only do I take you the back way so you don't have to see everybody in the atrium all at once, but I let you convince me to take the stairwell en lieu of the lift for the same bloody reason, all so you can blatantly disregard any concern for my safety while you pick apart the reasoning of a madwoman."

"Come off it, you know that's not what I meant by all of this," she explained guiltily as she caught up with him. "I of course care about your safety, but you are more than able to handle Mrs. Ainsley. It's just that it's a bit of an enigma, and I need a good mystery to help keep my mind off of all that's happened."

Percy paused again as they reached the platform for Level Five.

"Well, I suppose I should go ahead and pack my trunk then," he said finally.

"What? Why?" Audrey asked in alarm.

"So I have the proper supplies for the epic guilt trips you keep sending me on," he replied with a sly grin. Audrey let out a relieved laugh as she caught on to his joke. She beamed at him before walking up close.

"Thank you for being so understanding," she expressed vehemently, standing on her tip-toes to place a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied with offhanded impatience, though the whole of his face burned pleasantly from the contact. He held the door open for the two of them and returned a smile as she passed.

The route to his office from the stairwell was fairly short and out of the way, and Percy felt sure that they would reach their destination without impediment. Audrey seemed to think along the same lines and had begun to relax visibly for the first time since agreeing to go to work.

"See, this isn't so bad. Just a few more steps and we'll be safe in the office," Percy stated cheerfully.

"Until we have to do down to the cafeteria for lunch," she reminded. "The point was for me to be seen eventually, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but by then it will have been almost a full day since that article came out and you'll be old news by then. You know how short people's attention spans are." Audrey laughed again, pushing his arm gently to deflect his tease. And then her hand stayed there for a moment, hesitating before traveling slowly down his sleeve. He held his hand upturned, eagerly awaiting hers. Their fingers intertwined, and Percy gave her a reassuring squeeze before letting their hands fall naturally in between them as they rounded the last corner to the corridor.

"Oh!" Audrey gasped, slightly startled as they entered the hallway. Two people stood with their backs turned to them right outside of their office. Percy recognized them instantly as Zeki and Alistair. Audrey let her hand fall away.

"What are you lot doing here?" Percy called out, slightly irritated. His two friends quickly turned around, Alistair shoving the Daily Prophet behind his back quickly.

"Oh, blast. What does it say now?" Audrey asked, sticking out her hand determinedly.

"What? Nothing!" Alistair said quickly. "We're just up here to talk to Percy about…er… lunch."

"It's basically just a re-print of last night's," Zeki interjected, grabbing the crumpled paper and handing it to her.

"So much for Percy's 'old news' theory," she grumbled, taking a quick look at the page before balling it up and tossing it into the rubbish.

"We have a fully devised plan on taking down the sod," Al piped up. "I can see to it that the Arrows budget is 'accidentally' filled out wrong and Zek here can use his pull in the Department of Mysteries to make it look like he's under…"

"That's really sweet guys, but you really don't have to do that," she said softly yet with firm inflection. "Honestly, I'd rather like to forget I ever dated the old brute and work towards moving to better things." Her eyes flickered over to Percy quickly after making her statement and she worked on tucking in a smile. Percy did the same.

"Yeah, well, we think we're gonna go ahead and do it anyways," Zeki stated, oblivious to the interaction between them.

"We spent all night scheming this, it would be a shame to let our brilliant plans go to waste," Al continued. "Anyways, we better be off. We just wanted to see how you were doing…"

"I'm fine, thank you," she assured.

"And let you know of our plans," he finished.

"It'll be legendary if it works," Zeki added in before the two waved goodbye and set off on their courses.

"Please don't get yourselves fired!" she yelled after their retreating heads. Al raised his closed fist in the air in response.

"I wouldn't be too worried about them. Those two couldn't plan their way out of a cereal box," Percy offered as he unlocked his door.

"Wow, you are on fire with the comebacks today!" she laughed as she made her way in.

"I guess I'm in a guarded yet pleasant mood," he responded.

"I can't imagine why," she said with a good-natured grin, flicking on the lights as she shook her head with a knowing look. They shared in a momentary chuckle until they turned their attention to Percy's desk. It was littered with parchments and letters sprawled in untidy stacks across its surface. Audrey let out a low whistle.

"For Merlin's sake, this is going to take ages to sort through!" Percy cursed as he flipped through one of the larger stacks. "And we have less than a week to do it!"

"Now, come on. Positive thinking!" Audrey replied soothingly, though even her optimistic tone seemed slightly dampened by the massive workload ahead of them. Percy sank in his chair and kicked the desk roughly. Instead of giving way to force and scooting forward however, it stayed steadfastly in its place, causing his foot to absorb most of the impact. He cursed again. He had been complaining to the maintenance department for ages about the state of his flimsy desk that normally shook every time he wrote too fast, but Dworkin, still in a huff about Audrey and the Doxy, had refused to do anything about it. Now it seemed he had gone in the complete opposite direction, for Percy had to push with all his might to even get the thing to budge.

"Damn," he muttered, giving up on trying to move the desk any further. "I sure do have a talent for pissing off the right people."

"I couldn't agree with you more, love," an all too familiar voice said coolly from the door way. Cordelia leaned against the frame nonchalantly, casually playing with the hem of her Ministry-standard traveling cloak. Percy jumped to his feet quickly, forgetting again that his desk no longer moved as easily as it once did, and he tried not to wince as he banged his knees in to it. Cordelia grinned wickedly at how easily startled her old flame became by her mere presence, and Percy chastised himself inwardly for allowing her such satisfaction.

"Is there something you need from us?" Audrey asked, standing strongly by Percy's side. "We're really very busy and don't have time to exchange _pleasantries._"

"You flatter yourself, Larrabee, to think I would come down here for _you_ to hold my interest," Cordelia shot back. "All though I must admit, you have been fairly entertaining these past few days…" Cordelia pulled out a folded newspaper and tossed it on the desk. The title read _Le __Prophète __Écouter, _and though Percy's French was a tad dusty, he was able to translate the headline of the gossip column rather effectively. Percy jerked his head over to Audrey, trying to gage how she would handle the break up going international in her state. She remained silent, her skin paled, and her brown eyes widened slightly.

"What _is_ it, Cordelia?" he shouted quickly, trying to distract from the fact that the normally witty Audrey had faltered on a comeback.

"Calm down, Percival. I'm here on business. Or did you forget we work in the same over all department?"

"There are a lot of things about you that'd I'd like to forget," he responded coldly, taking his seat. Cordelia's thin lips curved into another smile.

"I've just returned from a meeting in Paris and I've come across a bit of pressing news." Cordelia let this statement dangle in the air, forcing Percy upon his duty to ask what this urging information was.

"I'm afraid it's for mid-level security clearance and up ears' exclusively," Cordelia explained, eyeing the still silent Audrey as she spoke.

"Don't give me that hippogriff shite," Percy demanded irately. "Just tell me what you need to and go."

"Why Percy, I'm surprised at you! You know the rules about clearance. You can't scrap them just because your little pet feels down for being tossed to the side like yesterday's rubbish."

"How dare you…!"

"Percy, it's alright," Audrey interrupted, grabbing his arm softly to keep him from any further outburst. "I'll leave and we can settle into work when you're through."

"Now there's a good assistant," Cordelia crooned condescendingly. "Why don't you give yourself something to do and hang this up in the staff closet for me?" Cordelia swung her travel cloak gracefully off her shoulders and tossed the garment over to Audrey. She winced as something bulky in the pocket hit her chest, but remained silent. Without a word she turned on her heel and left the room.

"Audrey, wait…!" Percy called out, but the door shut before he could get much else out.

"Well, you must be ecstatic," Cordelia said coyly from behind. Percy turned around to see her sitting cross legged on his desk, thumbing casually through the newspaper. "Now that she's been dumped by the superstar, perhaps she'll finely begin to fancy a mere mortal such as yourself."

Percy felt his blood boil and saw flashes of white before his eyes as he looked at her.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he demanded, facing her eye to eye and using every last bit of self-restraint to keep from strangling her. "What gives you the right to talk to her like that? To any one like that?"

"She's a clerk, Percy. You remember what it was like. You get dumped on to make sure you can handle the stress that is the Ministry. I'm just doing her a service so she knows what she's getting herself in to. She may not always have such weak-hearted bosses that are so easily charmed by her."

"You're a monster," Percy spat, turning away from her to wring his hands through his hair. How did he ever see something worthwhile in her?

"If I'm such a monster, why did I come here, straight from my trip, just to help you?" she asked, jumping off the desk and following him over to his chair. Percy laughed humorlessly.

"Now why do I doubt that?" he asked as he sat down.

"It's true," Cordelia shrugged. She once again hopped up on the table, pulling an Emory board out of her purse to file down her sharp nails as she talked.

"I overheard my sub-department head of the British seat updating Grumman on our meeting. They were exchanging mindless small talk, the way useless men do, when Mr. Marx asked how things were going in Trading Standards and if he knew who was going to replace Weiss in this little competition he's be having you jump through hoops for. And do you know how Grumman replied?"

Percy exhaled in deep-seated annoyance, crossing his arms and looking away. He was so sick of Cordelia's meddlesome ways and hated her ability to trap him in her games. Yet he desperately wanted this position and it had been weeks since Grumman had given him feedback.

"I haven't the slightest," Percy managed to say steadily, though his ears remained wide open. Cordelia scoffed at his planned indifference, and leaned in close to gain his attention.

"That's more or less what Grumman said," she replied snidely. Percy jerked his head over to face hers. "He said he still hadn't decided yet. Now tell me why, after months of work, the majority of which you maintained a clear lead, would Grumman still not have an answer?"

"The competition's not over yet. We still have to give our final presentation, go through the last batch of evaluations, the other sub-heads have some say…"

"Don't insult your own intelligence," Cordelia cackled narrowly. "You know why he's hesitant. You lost a very rare and dangerous potion, and if the news of this leaked out…well, the Ministry is trying to up its reputation of efficiency, not tear it back down."

"Grumman wouldn't possibly stake my whole career on the fact that a criminal who has conned half the Ministry stole Delphinium Glaze during a mix up!"

"He can if the employee has been repeatedly duped by the people he has worked around before," she interjected. Percy jerked in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Quit. Being. So. Thick," she replied. "You _have_ been robbed by a criminal who had conned half the Ministry, but it wasn't by Fletcher."

"Stop it!" Percy growled, catching on to her insinuation.

"Think about it! Fletcher is an uneducated petty thief. He wouldn't know what Delphinium Glaze was if it bit him on the arse. But who was there in that whole 'mix up' who not only knew what it was, but could actually use it?" she asked.

"I will not sit here and have you continually insult my friend!" he warned.

"She may not be smart like you or I, but she's not an idiot. She's obviously realized she's a horrible Gallon-digger and has decided to take matters in to her own hands. She was able to nick a bottle of the Glaze, probably other things of value from the storeroom as well, the way you let her trapse around, all while having you wrapped around her greedy fingers…"

"Enough!" he yelled, slamming down his fist as he rose from his seat. "I'm done with hearing your accusations all because you feel slighted that I didn't want to be with you! I will not have you bring Audrey down to your disgusting level!"

"Wake up, Percy! That's the way the world works. People use each other for their own gain. Audrey wants to open her pathetic art studio and will align herself with anyone who has the way to get her there. And if you think I wanted you for any other reason than the fact that you were a good and reliable shag than you are severely off kilter. But if you insist on living in your naïve black and white world, than be my guest and don't ask her about it, and enjoy your dead end job and the delusion that she would ever be romantically interested in a boy like you."

"GET OUT!" Percy demanded furiously. "I don't give a damn if we do work in the same department, I will find away to never have to see you again. Stop butting into my life and find someone else to torture. I'm done with your head trips."

Cordelia stood firmly in her place, staring icy daggers in his direction. Previously, such a look would have made him shrink back. But he stood determinedly in his stead, staring back in righteous defiance. The tension in the atmosphere was palpable, but Percy was steadfast in his desire not to give in. Coupled with Cordelia's stubbornness, Percy felt sure that the two of them could have gone seething at each other for ages. The trance was however broken, as the door swung open moments later as Audrey shuffled in, head bowed and eyes slightly swollen red. She looked back and forth between the two, analyzing the mood between them.

"I assume you're done relaying your message and will kindly let us resume working?" Audrey asked stiffly. Cordelia's eyes shifted over to her before rounding back on the now deflated looking Percy. She smiled coldly.

"Yes, I believe my damage is done here," she said steadily.

"Brilliant," Audrey replied, pushing past her and heading over towards the desk. Cordelia turned away curtly and made her way to the door. She stopped before leaving however, and with a voice overflowing with malice, she directed one more message to Percy.

"You really ought to mull over what I told you, unless you really want to be as pathetic of a person that everyone thinks you are."

Audrey stopped in her steps, turning around fiercely before Percy could get any words in.

"That's it!" she exclaimed, walking straight up to the towering blonde. Percy stood, expecting the two to come to blows, especially as Audrey's hand went for her back pocket. But instead, Audrey pulled out the slim silver compact Cordelia always carried around with her to touch up her makeup.

"Here," Audrey said roughly, shoving the object that had been left behind in the cloak back in to its owners hands. "You should really be nicer to people, unless you want your outside to be as ugly as you are in."

"I'll try and keep that in mind," Cordelia retorted sarcastically, before flippantly turning away and walking out of the office. With the door slammed behind her, Audrey and Percy were once again left alone. But far from the casual and affectionate mood that had begun the day, Percy had the feeling that Audrey didn't want to be anywhere near him at the moment. And when he stopped to think about it, he wouldn't have minded being left alone either.

"I really don't want to talk about what just happened," Percy stated, taking his seat.

"Fine. Let's just get to work," she replied irritated, moving her seat to the other side of the desk and diving into her mountain of paperwork. It was the mindless, tedious aspect of the job, which even Percy had to admit he found a bit dull. But being able to work mechanically at this moment was even more burdensome than at most times, as it let his mind free to wander.

"_What the hell just happened?"_ he asked himself. There was no answer. The past eight days whirled by him in an untidy blur. It had been just over a week since the last time he had sat in this chair, tormented by the horrid accusations Cordelia had made about Audrey. Though her words had affected him enough to send him into a panic attack, upon calming he had easily been able to shrug them off. Then she had been vague and superficial in her torments, and Percy knew Audrey to be well above her words. But now…

A lot had transpired through the week. He had learned some of Audrey's darker secrets. Like him, she was once ruthless in her desires. He had felt closer to her for this reason and the way they had both turned their energies towards helping others. This obviously made her a good person, yet Percy couldn't help but go further in his questioning.

Why had Audrey dated Max for so long? That was something he could never understand. Max was brutish and two dimensional, nothing like how Percy perceived Audrey to be. And something about her other ex, Warren, felt off. Had she really just read him wrong, or did she leave because the money was running out? He had always known her to be spot on in her ability to read people…

And Cordelia did have a point about the Glaze. Audrey was probably one of the few people at the Ministry who would instantly know what it was and how to use it. She had even admitted to him her desire for it in order to give herself an edge. Would she have been desperate enough to steal it now? It was a statistical possibility. Especially in her current situation, being the low-income breadwinner of a family of four. She had to hate it, what with being so tied down when she was such a free spirit. It had to be appealing to her, having the answer to her problems paraded so unguarded in front of her. Putting it that way, it almost seemed ludicrous for her to _not_ have taken it…

"Are we fighting with each other?" Audrey's soft voice filtered its way through his dark thoughts. Percy snapped up from his work and looked over at her. Stacked parchments of finish worked lay in tidy piles around her elbows. Her face was still blotchy and her eyes look freshly red. Percy's heart froze.

"Because I'm not exactly sure of what all just happened but for some reason it left us angry at each other. But I'm so not mad at you, and I don't think I could handle the thought of you being mad at me, so please just tell me what I did and how I can fix it," she begged, her voice cracking as she fought back tears. Percy threw his chair back behind him as he rushed from his seat over to her side.

"No! Audrey, darling, I'm not mad at you, I swear, I just…" Percy's flushed sentiments were cut off by Audrey rising from her chair and throwing her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his chest and relinquished herself into uncontrollable sobs. She cried hard, the way Percy knew she needed to but had the feeling she hadn't allowed herself to yet. He pulled her in tight, resting his face on top of her bowed head.

"I'm so sorry all this happened to you. I could just kill Max and every stupid newspaper columnist I could get my hands on. And Cordelia… Merlin I can't think of a punishment harsh enough for that bitch." Audrey hiccupped a laugh and wriggled in his arms to look up at him. Her face was tear-stricken and red, but she somehow managed to make her expressive eyes shine and carry a weak smile.

"I don't care about them. I mean, yes, it's been incredibly stressful lately, but I'm somewhat used to that. It's just that I… well, I've kind of had to be the grown up for so long I'd forgotten how important it is to have someone else you can depend on. I can't say exactly why but it seems like since we started working today you've been distant, resentful, even angry at me. Maybe I've just lost it or I'm being paranoid, but just the thought of it was enough to make me lose it…"

"No, Audrey, I'm here for you, honestly! I'm sorry I pulled away. I guess I'm still not completely able to rid myself of Cordelia's mind tricks. But that's my failing, not yours, and I apologize most ardently." He said the words without thought, just feel. As he wrapped his arms back around her and she leaned in softly to his chest, he felt like running his head through a brick wall. Why was he so quick to want to doubt her? Yes the evidence, on paper, could be construed certain ways to look bad. But she, the tough yet complete train wreck of a girl, was all that really mattered. Percy knew in his heart that Audrey wouldn't steal something so dangerous, regardless of the benefits, especially from him. She fought hard for the people she loved, and would continue to do so on good terms. Perhaps he had, in an unintentional way, become used to the idea of girls all having malicious hidden agendas, when really Cordelia was the only person he knew like that. He made an expressed point to himself to never listen to a word Cordelia ever said to him again, even if it meant plugging his ears and singing at the top of his lungs in front of the Minister himself. He would never again let that wretched witch place another doubt in his head against the woman that he… that he…

"Whoa," he said out loud, completely floored by his self-realization.

"What's the matter?" Audrey asked, looking up at him with dry and clearing eyes.

"I…er…" Percy laughed nervously, impulsively running his fingers through his hair. "I think I just realized something. But it's not important now. We should focus on cleaning you up, and maybe grabbing a bite to eat. Yes, it is about that time." Percy glanced at his watch to prove his point. Audrey nodded, taking a few steps back to reach for her purse. She washed her face with a cloth and reapplied her makeup to cover up the red.

"How do I look?" she asked through a residual sniff, tossing her concealer back into her bag.

"Beautiful," he replied, unconcerned if he was being cliché. Audrey seemed to respond well either way and broke out into a large smile. Percy beamed back as he opened the door, placing a quick kiss on her forehead as he passed.

The two walked down the corridors and into the lift in a comfortable silence. Percy spent the time confirming his recently derived hypothesis, comparing it against occurrences and phenomena that had occurred over a space of time. Though it may in fact be too early to confirm his findings, he was reasonably sure his results corresponded to his theory.

His stomach flipped along with the lift.

"Northern Ireland!" Audrey shouted happily, breaking the quiet between pair.

"Wh- Northern Ireland?" Percy asked, dazed from being ripped from his thoughts.

"Yes, Northern Ireland," she repeated with a grand excitement. "That explains everything!"

"I'm fairly certain that it doesn't," Percy retorted as the lift doors sprang open.

"Yes it does, with Mrs. Ainsley! She's from there! They have a ton of guns in Northern Ireland. She probably smuggled that old revolver in the country ages ago and kept it with her out of habit. That explains it," she stated happily. "Phew, that is a big load off my mind. That's been bothering me all day!"

Percy stared at her incredulously.

"Of all the things that have happened and you're excited about… you know what, never mind. I'm glad you're happy."

"Me too!" she responded cheerfully. Percy shook his head good naturedly and opened the doors to the lunch room for them.

"DOES THIS STAKE BLOODY LOOK WELL DONE?"

Percy and Audrey frozen in the entrance way after the curdling scream hit their ears. They weren't the only ones who attention was stolen by the scene, as a good half of the lunch room, including Al and Zek, stopped to watch. Percy made his way over to his friends in order to get a better look, and his impatience rose as he saw who was yelling.

Cordelia was shouting adamantly at the service witch behind the queue who had handed her her lunch plate.

"And these potatoes are an absolute disgrace! Do any of you back there know the first thing about cooking, or are you just throwing food onto a fire like cavemen and praying to the Sun God that it comes out edible…"

"Someone needs to stop this!" Percy growled, clenching his fists. "She can't keep going around thinking she can treat people like that!" Percy motioned to move forward, damning the situation and how he had to break his vow of never speaking to her again. But he couldn't just idle by as she took down another victim. He was stopped however, by Audrey of all people.

"Just wait," Audrey said calmly, a grin etching upon her face. "I doubt she'll be yelling for much longer."

Percy creased his eyebrows in confusion but returned his directed vision back over to the scene.

"And another thing! How hard is it to get a bloody dry tray around here! Every time I go to get one, it's just covered in…"

"By Merlin, what's wrong with your face?" the service witch demanded, speaking for the first time and stepping back in disgust.

"What the hell do you mean 'what's wrong with my face'?" Cordelia demanded, pulling out her silver compact. "It's perfectly…."

And then she let out a gut wrenching scream that echoed around the lunch room. Red, blotchy lines covered her face, vibrating angrily around her features, causing her eyes, nose and mouth to twitch vehemently. Desperate, Cordelia quickly tried to use her compact powder to cover up the spots, but the addition only seemed to aggravate the lines, and as consequence they grew thicker, redder and more energetic.

Someone at an unidentified table began to laugh as she continued to use the powder that so clearly was the cause of her condition. Soon, everyone began to join in, and Cordelia, normally so composed and intimidating, looked like a deer trapped in the headlights of the Knight bus.

"YOU!" she shrieked, pointing in Percy's direction and making a bee line to their area. Percy shook his head slightly, wondering just how she was apt to blame this on him. Instead, she rounded angrily on to Audrey, who was overtaken with a fit of giggles.

"You did this to me!" Cordelia accused, pointing a sharpened nail in her face. "You tampered with my compact!"

"Who…me?" Audrey asked innocently, though she failed to keep a straight face and descended back into laughter.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Mr. Grumman asked from behind, trying to take serious charge in a dispute between two of his employees, though his mustache twitched in amusement.

"She did this to me!" Cordelia repeated dramatically. "She stole and hexed my makeup case!"

"Well, I did warn you about being nicer to people," Audrey contested casually in her defense.

"See! The little harlot bitch admits it!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Now there is no place for that kind of language in the Ministry!" Grumman said sternly. He then grabbed a handkerchief out of his pocket and rubbed at Cordelia's face. The red lines instantly disappeared from the spot.

"Ah, come now, it's just a joke product! Probably one of Mr. Weasley's here brother's. It'll wash right off. No harm done!" he finished kindly.

"No harm done? She's turned me into a laughing stock, you fool!" she screeched.

"I believe you were doing quite an adequate job of doing that to yourself long before Ms. Larrabee came along," Grumman bellowed. "I suggest you go back to your office and think long and hard about your attitude, young lady. And you can certainly expect a performance audit with in the week."

Cordelia cast her icy stare over at Grumman, but was deflected in her inferiority. She stamped her heel in protest and turned to face the door to leave.

"If you think I've made your lives hell so far, you have another thing coming!" she spat to Percy and Audrey before taking long strides out that door.

"That was brilliant!" Alistair exclaimed through a scattering of applause. "Indescribable!"

"Yes, very entertaining," Grumman mused softly, stroking his mustache. Audrey stood willingly and at full attention in front of her boss, awaiting discipline.

"However," Grumman continued, a little hesitantly. "As… appropriate a technique as your actions were, I'm afraid I can't have it look like I allow my employees to hex one another at will. You should take the rest of the day off to think about what you've done, and promise me you won't do it again."

"I promise," Audrey replied cheerfully. Grumman smiled.

"Excellent! Well, now that that's all settled, I'm going to go finish my stake, which I found to be expertly prepared. In fact, I think I'll tell the staff that now." Grumman waved merrily goodbye to his employees and their friends and headed off to the kitchen.

"I can't believe you did that!" Percy laughed, baffled in amazement. "How did that even happen?"

"Please!" she said coyly. "I hung out with your brothers for seven years, I did pick up a thing or two. An irritation powder that goes off when the wearer is being particularly nasty was a piece of cauldron cake."

"I still can't believe you did that! That was epically brilliant!" he praised.

"Cheers!" she responded gratefully. "Sorry that it got me sent home. I know we still have a lot of work to do."

"Please, that was so worth it," he smiled back.

"I'm glad you think so. Maybe this weekend we can…"

"PERCY!" a booming voice shouted from the entrance way. Everyone, still wound up from the previous bout of excitement and anxious for more, turned to the doors to see the broad shouldered, handsome man that had just burst frantically through.

"Seeley?" Percy called, wondering just what more could happen that day.

"Percy!" Seeley shouted again, throwing his way through the queue and quickly reaching his side. "Percy we have him! We have Fletcher!"

"You do!?!" Percy cried in excitement, now sharing in Seeley's hyped mode.

"Yeah! We're about to interrogate him, come on!" Seeley grabbed Percy's arm and started leading him out the door.

"I guess I'll see you later, then?" Audrey called after the retreating pair.

"Hey Aud, I'll kill that rat bastard if I ever see him!" Seeley shouted behind him as the two disappeared behind the swinging doors.

Seeley and Percy had been friends for the past year or so. It was an unlikely pairing at first, as Seeley had a much more formidable presence than Percy could ever front, but the two quickly realized they shared a passion for justice and a love of apple crumb pie, and had been on good terms ever since. But Percy had never seen Seeley in the interrogation room before. He had heard from others that it was quite an awesome sight to behold, and though Percy knew the softer, garden loving side of Seeley, he was never left in doubt about the man's capabilities. Now, as Percy watched him verbally intimidate, craft an intricate web of questions, catching the thief in his own lies, all while maintaining a cool yet fierce glare, he knew that Seeley Boranez didn't disappoint. He was also glad that he wasn't on the other side of the table.

Mundungus, for his part, had kept fairly steady. Though obviously shaken, he grumbled his answers more out annoyance than fear. He had an aura of having been in this kind of situation before.

"Fine, you great git!" he finally exclaimed grouchily. "I confess. I 'picked up' those dangerous artifacts and held them. But they weren't mine! I was holding them for a friend."

Seeley let out a rough laugh.

"That story could only be true if you actually had any friends left, you scum," Seeley replied. Fletcher muttered again but continued on with his story.

"I admit, I got a little startled when yer went off on that Azkaban or heavy fine bit. Like I'd 'ave any gold to pay a fee after yer'd taken my collection! An' I don't care if the Dementors are gone, I weren't about to go back to that place." Fletcher shuddered in his chair, causing a scent of musk to permeate the air.

"I panicked. I saw the girl had nicked her finger on the Darkness powder jar. I scooped a handful in my pocket when yer weren't lookin, and made a break for it as soon as I could. I didn't mean to knock yer into the wall so hard, I was just trying to get out!"

"And what about the Delphinium Glaze?" Percy asked as sternly as he could, cutting into the line of questioning.

"What was that?" Fletcher grunted.

"The metal milk bottle looking thing you stole!" Seeley seethed. "One went missing right after the packages spilled out!"

Mundungus looked baffled back and forth between the two angry wizards questioning him.

"I dun know nothfink about no 'Dolphin Glaze'. What would I want bottled Dolphin for? Sounds like rubbish to me!"

"Delphinium Glaze!" Percy corrected, taking the reigns as Seeley knew almost nothing about the object, other than it was stolen. "It's a very rare, extremely dangerous artists' tool that you pilfered that day to sell and save your grimy skin!"

"Rare huh…?" Fletcher asked, lost in his own thoughts. "Sounds like yer had something pretty valuable right there, huh? Dammit all if I had known that I'd…"

"I'd think long and hard about how you'd want to finish that sentence," Seeley threatened, taking Dung by the collar and lifting him up out of his seat roughly.

"Look, I didn't take no… what-ever-you-call-it glaze! I jus' had enough time to grab the powder and get out! Honest!"

"Like we'd have any reason to believe you!" Percy snapped, but his conviction for the man began to falter. Mundungus, though a cowardly, lying thief, could always be counted on for enumerating his woes on a lost opportunity. He seemed generally disappointed that he had been so close to such a valuable object and let it pass him by. This was very disconcerting.

"What do you want us to do now?" Seeley asked, still holding Fletcher by the gruff.

"It seems like we've gotten it all out of him now. Maybe just hold him in case we get any other leads?" Percy suggested, slightly deflated.

"Oh, don't worry, he's not going anywhere," Seeley laughed. "And don't worry so much about the glaze. The one good thing about missing something so rare is that it's blatantly obvious when it turns up."

"Yeah…thanks," Percy replied. The problem was, if it didn't turn up soon, Percy may be out of the job.

"I'll tell Grumman about the interrogation if you want," Seeley offered, hearing the deflection in his friend's voice. "It's been ages since I've talked to him. He used to be an Enforcer to, you know, back in the day. A damn good one to, taught me a lot. But I think after the War he wanted something a bit quieter."

"Is that so?" Percy asked, only half listening. "Sure, go talk. I'm gonna…work."

Percy bid Seeley farewell and headed out towards his office. He couldn't believe that they had caught Mundungus and they still hadn't found the missing bottle. Where could it be? Percy wracked his brains out, pacing back and forth in front of his desk, trying to recall the events of the day. He repressed his urge to kick his desk, knowing it would hurt his foot more than relieve his frustration. He looked at the stacks of forms he and Audrey had gone through earlier that day. The one good thing that had come from their active silence was they had gotten a surprising amount of work done. Almost half of it was completed, placing Percy back on track time wise. Not that it would make much of a difference, if the Glaze wasn't found.

Percy shook his head. There was no point in worrying aimlessly over something he had no control over. All he could do was his best and hope that it was good enough for Weiss and Grumman. Or at least have it be better than Smith's. What he needed was a pick me up, something to take his mind off the burdensome Glaze.

And then he thought about what he had realized this morning, and he smiled. He looked at the rest of the paperwork on his desk. Sure Audrey had been kicked out of work, but that didn't mean he couldn't take the work to her. Not that he felt much like pushing paper, but it was an awfully good excuse to go see her. He stacked the piles neatly into his briefcase, and headed determinedly out of the Ministry.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was unbearably humid outside, and Percy was glad to break free from the dank smells of the alley way. He quickly made his way down the pavement, whistling a tune from one of the Muggle albums Audrey had given him that he was particularly fond of. He felt the blistering weather merited a nice cool glass of lemonade, and toyed with the idea of taking them out to a nearby café to have a glass. After all, they had missed lunch, and the temperature wouldn't be so bad with a refreshing drink and a soft breeze.

He shook himself from his pleasant thoughts when he reached her door, preparing himself for the mad Muggle landlady and whatever fit she'd throw at him this time. He kept one hand in his pocket, holding his wand firmly.

For all the strange things that had happened both in that day and in Audrey's apartment complex, Percy felt as though nothing should take him by surprise. But if there was one thing that Percy had learned over the past few years, it was this: no one could be right all of the time.

"You can't just do this to a person, you old bat! It's inhumane!" Audrey yelled.

It took Percy a few moments to soak in the scene, as his glasses had fogged up the moment he stepped inside. But after he had wiped the condensation away, he still couldn't believe his eyes. A small crowd of tenets stood around Mrs. Ainsley and Audrey who were obviously rowing. Though fighting with the landlady seemed to be a daily occurrence in the building, it was probably much less common that the tenet did so clad only in a damp towel, with hair still drenched wet and covered in suds.

"I can and I did, you shameless thing!" Mrs. Ainsley shouted back, going red in the face over the impropriety. "You failed to pay your full utilities bill this month! I am quite with in my rights to shut off your water!"

"Six pounds I was off! Six! I paid the rest and I explained to you my situation! I told you I'd pay you ten next week when my pay check came in and you agreed!"

"That was before I caught you sneaking in boys in the middle of the night! Trust me, no amount of hot showering can wash away your filthy sins, my dear!" Audrey's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head.

"Fine! You want all your money now, you crazy loon! I'll get your money! Here, take this towel right off my back! It should be worth at least a couple of pence!"

Audrey began to untie the cloth that covered her body, fully intending on tossing it at her landlady. Percy quickly rushed through the crowd, pinning her arms down at her side at the last moment, restricting her mobility, much to the dismay of some of the gentlemen in the room.

"Percy!" Audrey exclaimed, struggling in his one armed lock down.

"What has the world come to?" Mrs. Ainsley screamed, looking as though she were about to faint.

"Here," Percy said firmly, grabbing his billfold in his back pocket with his freehand. As quickly and discreetly as he could, he pulled out a ten pound note and held it out for Mrs. Ainsley to take.

"There, now please turn her water back on, and don't renege on your payment contracts with your tenets or we'll report you to the authorities!" Percy warned, even though he didn't specifically know if there were proper Muggle authorities for these kinds of things. Mrs. Ainsley certainly seemed to think there were, and she returned to her office, muttering under her breath. The crowd turned their attention to their soapy, half naked neighbor and the tall red-head who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Percy pushed Audrey away from the scene, trying to get her out of harm's view.

"What was that all about?" Percy asked, as they rounded the stairs. Audrey struggled violently out of his grasp.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, fastening the towel around her body.

"I… I came here to see how you were doing and to keep working like you said…" he sputtered, caught off guard by the angry look on her face.

"No one asked you to come here!" she shouted violently. "I can take care of myself!"

"I never said you couldn't… what's wrong with you?" Percy asked bluntly, still in shock at her change in mannerisms.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _me?"_ she repeated, a bit madly, hair frothing with soap. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me! This is the third time in my life a serious boyfriend has cheated on me, and each time it becomes a more public of a deal. My crazy landlady won't leave me be and waits till _after_ I've started showering to turn off my water, which she knew I couldn't pay all of this week. Why couldn't I pay for all of it? Because my grandmother fell and hurt her bloody hip, which means she can't even go to work at her part time job which means I am now the sole income earner in my family. My brother grew about a foot over the summer and just made prefect, which means he'll need new robes. Both of their book lists are a horrendously long this year which means tons of supplies I need to buy. And all my sister wants for her birthday is to get her shabby broom patched up so she can go out for the Quidditch team, when I don't even have the gold to buy them extra quills, let alone get her bristles cleaned out. I haven't had a good night sleep in ages because I keep having nightmares about being trapped in that closet again with T-90 forms swirling against my head, and I'm so sick and tired of all the things I have to do I just want to scream!"

"Okay… well why don't we…"

"And you!" she continued angrily, jumping up a step so she could look into his eyes. "You keep rubbing your big nose in my business! Who asked you? I don't need anyone to save me!"

Percy's mouth dropped and he stared at her indignantly.

"You're a mental case, you know that?" he argued back. "One minute you're losing it because you think I'm mad at you, and the next you're practically streaking in the lobby and yelling at me for trying to keep some level of sanity, after you just enumerated all the problems in your life and how you don't want to have to deal with them alone!"

"Yeah!?! Well… go to hell!" she shouted back at him, stomping her feet as she stormed up the stairs.

"I'm already there, darling!" he yelled back, watching her disappear around the corner. He waited for a moment, wondering if she was going to turn back, but abandoned that hope when he heard a door slam. Cursing, he turned around to leave, and faced the small group of tenets who stared at him from the lobby. He ignored their expressions and pushed his way out into the street.

He was angry, and worst of all hurt beyond all belief. He felt those walls that he had spent the last year knocking down begin to build themselves back up. This is why he didn't get close to people. This is why he shut out his family, his friends, Penelope. This is why he went after girls like Cordelia, who were more emotionally stunted than he was. This is why he worked hard until he nearly killed himself. He couldn't handle rejection like this. Not when it meant so much to him. He didn't know a proper outlet for copping.

As he sped down the alleyway, trying to get as far away from that place as possible, he thought once more about the conclusion that he had come to that morning. Instead of giving him a pleasing feeling, it made him all the more angry.

"Damn her," he said to no one as he made his way behind the refrigerator box. "And damn the Scientific Method."

_(A/N: Ahhh, angst! I almost feel bad leaving them this way. Don't be too angry at Audrey, she's having a rough time. Anyhoo, this Audrey is alive, though recovering from the flu. That's how I actually had time to write. My trip went well and I'm all caught up, which hopefully means more regular updates. I hope you liked this chapter. GingerNinja1, I hope this gave you a somewhat satisfying explanation to my jarring mix up! Thanks to everyone for returning from my long absence, I hope to not keep you waiting that long again!) _


	19. Let It Out and Let It In

"_I knew there was a reason I didn't find things funny as a child,"_ Percy thought to himself as he stood on top of the rickety ladder, refilling the empty shelves with punching telescopes irately. It was the weekend the Hogwarts' owls went out, and Diagon Alley was swarming with school children and their parents. George's shop was filled to the brim with customers, all laughing loudly as they tested out the products, enjoying the last few days of summer while excited with the prospects of a new year. The place emitted general happiness. In all honesty it was the last place on Earth Percy wanted to be. He didn't want to be around happy shouts and obnoxious puffs of smoke. He wanted to be buried in his work, or at least alone in his flat where he could sulk properly. But he, Ginny, Harry and Hermione had promised George ages ago that they would lend a hand during the busy weekend. So, despite the facts that Thursday may perhaps be the biggest day of his life, the Glaze was still missing, and all he could think about was Audrey, he had spent his Saturday morning stocking shelves, giving out change, and getting his glasses broken by stupid toys that he'd forgotten the purpose of. He felt it was a cruel twist of fate that the day he had felt the most miserable in a year was one encased in a joke shop.

"Cheer up, Percy," Ron said kindly, taking out his wand to repair his damaged glasses. "The day's half over and I expect you can leave soon."

"Yeah, George knows you have your big project due in a few days. The store is already thinning out because of lunch, I'm sure you can go back to the office soon," Hermione pitched in, both of them reading his discontented face.

"Yeah… alright," Percy replied, trying to smile. But the cheer ups his brother and his girlfriend tried to bestow upon him only left him feeling worse. What did it say about him when the only thing that could leave him upset in another's eyes was work? Couldn't they tell he could care less about work right now? Couldn't they feel the confusion and the hurt he felt radiated out of every inch of his body? For the past 24 hours he felt he could have been diagnosed bipolar with his mood swings. He went from angry, to depressed, to hopeless, to take charge, back to angry. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Things with Audrey had been complicated enough before the fight. She had alluded to wanting to be with him but told him she needed some time. But then she would give him little touches, looks and kisses, and he wanted to say to hell with time. He could have waited, Merlin knows it had taken him nearly three months to realize how much he cared for her, but now…

What was he supposed to do? Apologize? Percy gritted his teeth. He knew he would if it would help. Over the past few months he had gotten rather good at making up with her, knowing when and how he should make amends. But in all honesty he had done nothing wrong, except be perhaps a bit too eager. And that's what was killing him now. He wanted to go to her, but the Snitch was not in his Quidditch pitch. She had to make the next move. And what would that be? He felt the whole situation infuriating. As he paced the landing of the second floor walk way, he felt as though he may as well explode like the stack of Whiz-bangs he planned on stocking next.

"Audrey," an apprehensive voice carried across the store. Percy nearly dropped the box of fireworks when the sound hit his ears. "I thought we couldn't afford any of this stuff."

"Shhh," she shushed softly. "It's alright to poke around. Ama's never been here."

Percy leaned over the railing, not quite believing she was actually there. Audrey stood in the door way, arms loaded with books and a cauldron full of supplies, two teenagers who had to be her siblings accompanying her. Though he had heard a lot about her brother and sister, he had never actually met them, and he found it easier for him to look at them than at their sister.

David, the worrier who had called her name earlier, stood beside her. He looked to be about fifteen but was already taller than his full grown sister. He was slim but stocky looking, with curly sandy hair kept short and neat. He was paler than his sister, and as Percy recalled the photograph of their family he saw a lot more of their father in him than in Audrey. The most noticeable thing about David however, was his left eye. Even from across the store Percy could see the pale scarring around his face, and the pupil was completely white. It was from the beating he had taken protecting his little sister from the Carrows the week they were imprisoned in their care. Audrey had told him that the Healers couldn't give him use of it back, but they were able to take away the pain that had come with the curse. He wore enchanted glasses he wouldn't ordinarily need to correct his vision.

It took him a moment to spot the sister in the crowd, but his eyes soon caught hold of the energetic thirteen year old that bounced happily down the aisles, peering haphazardly into barrels and pulling out objects without fear, despite the fact that some began to smoke on contact. Her laughter carried over the shop merrily, drawing the attention of many, including George, who relished in the delight of his customers.

"I thought I recognized that laugh," George grinned, walking up to the small family. "You almost look just like Audrey did in third year when I perfected my impression of Quirrell passing out after yelling about the troll."

It was true, Percy thought upon second glance. He imagined Ama did look a lot like her sister must have when she was younger. Scrawny, nothing but knees and elbows, wild dark hair swept back into a pony tail and a reckless smile permanently plastered to her face. She seemed to be a beacon of energy, and twirled around animatedly when approached by the store owner.

"Are you really George Weasley?" she asked excitedly.

"The one and only," he replied, bowing to the girl happily.

"Audrey's told me all about you!" Ama exclaimed, bouncing as she talked. Percy felt a stab of jealousy from the rafters.

"Yes, Amaline is a bit of a fan of yours," Audrey explained good-naturedly, smiling at the bursting excitement of her little sister.

"You're one of the best Beaters Gryffindor ever had!" Ama expressed in adoration.

"This is true," George nodded, enjoying the rapt attention.

"I'm trying out for the team this year," Ama stated boldly. "I play Beater and say to hell with anyone who thinks it's not a girl's position. I can swing a bat harder and aim more precisely than anyone flying around with a Y chromosome."

"I believe it," George grinned. "You radiate spunk."

"No," David interjected firmly. "She's just spent half her life hitting me with things. She was bound to get good at it after all the repetition."

"That isn't necessarily so," Ama spat to her brother. "I only hit you when you were being a prat. You would think after all _that_ repetition you would learn to stop, but alas, here we are."

"You better watch it, Amaline," he warned, flashing the silver Ravenclaw prefect badge he had already pinned to the second hand robes he carried with him. "Don't think for a second that just because we're family I won't hesitate to doc points off you. In fact, being that you are both my obnoxious little sister and that you're a Gryffindor, you can expect it!"

"Audrey!" Ama whined. "He's doing it again!"

"Will you two behave yourselves?" Audrey demanded, trying to gain some control despite the fact that she clearly found the situation funny.

"I always behave!" David interjected. "She's the one being a brat!"

"Whatever, you pompous windbag!" Ama shot back.

"Cretin!" he labeled.

"Prat!"

"Bitch!"

"Cyclopes!"

David stared incredulously down at his sister, and Percy wondered how the boy would react to being mocked about a disfigurement by the very person he had received it to protect. Personally, Percy would feel rather self-conscious about such a thing, especially at fifteen. But to his surprise, the sides of David's lips began to flicker, and before he knew it, David lost his composer and started laughing. He grabbed the grinning Ama roughly around the shoulders and pinned her into an affectionate headlock.

"You see what I have to put up with," Audrey announced.

"I think it's hilarious," George laughed, watching the two siblings wrestle playfully. "You do a wonderful job at mediating."

"There really isn't much of a point," she sighed. "Who do you think taught them to insult and pick on one another so effectively? It's my karma that now I'm the one who is supposed to deal with them. Besides, they normally settle it out themselves. Eventually."

Indeed, the two younger siblings had already stopped fighting and stood by their sister, eagerly drinking in the marvelous store.

"You know," George said offhandedly, smiling down to Ama. "I think I may have some old Quidditch pictures of Fred and me in the back office. I even may have a playbook or two that could be useful for you in try outs. Merlin knows we need our Beaters to be sharp and brilliant."

"Wicked!" Ama exclaimed happily.

"And after that, why don't the two of you find yourselves something you like? On the house!"

"George, are you sure?" Audrey asked, cutting in before her siblings could get too excited.

"Of course! Think of it as repayment for all the homework you let us copy and all the weight you pulled in our class projects," he insured.

"Great," Audrey muttered good-naturedly. "All that work just to be rewarded with a box full of firecrackers that they'll probably shoot off right next to my bed while I'm asleep."

George winked at her, before draping his arm around Ama's shoulders to lead her to the back office, regaling her with the amazing feats he had pulled back in his school days.

"Well, you heard the man," Audrey said kindly, pushing her brother gently. "Go pick out something I'll get an owl for later." David grinned at his sister's encouragement, and walked in a forced casualness around the barrels, trying not to look as excited as he was.

Percy had watched the last of the scene from the spiraling staircase that lead up to the rafters. He thought he remained unseen, but Audrey's amused eye line shifted seamlessly from her brother over to where Percy stood without shock. Percy paused, unsure of exactly what to do, but decided to continue down the staircase to place the excess Whiz-bangs back in storage.

"Hey," she said softly, meeting him at the bottom of the staircase.

"Hullo," he replied, somewhat more curtly than he had meant to. He felt a strange altering of mood hit him. Despite wanting nothing more than to talk to her just a few moments before, he felt a sudden urge for her to work for something, and slipped into ignoring her. Audrey seemed unfazed by this, and continued to walk with him as he made his way to the backroom.

"I like your t-shirt," she told him, referring to the Weasley Wizard Wheeze's shirt he wore for the occasion. "I hardly ever see you dressed casually."

"Yeah, well, I promised George I'd help him work this weekend," Percy stated coolly, weaving in and out between customers and looking straight ahead. He didn't know what he was doing. He hated playing games, yet here he was making her chase him for his attention. Perhaps he felt like he deserved an apology for once and was worried that if he looked into her eyes for just a moment, he would break down too soon.

"I know," she admitted, resting against the frame of the backroom doorway. "I was the one who wrote it in your planner."

"You knew I'd be here?" he asked in surprise, dumping the excess boxes back in their place. He felt himself grow more alert, and finally allowed himself to focus his full attention on her.

"Of course," she stated, standing firmly in the room. "It's why I had us do the shopping this weekend. I came… to apologize." She dropped her head slightly and her face disappeared behind her sheet of umber hair.

"I had absolutely no right to yell at you. I feel like a monster. You've… you've been so good to me, so patient and supportive, and I just treated you like dirt." She looked back up at him, a pleading sorrow filling her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted vulnerably in front of him. "I've just been under a lot of stress lately. I mean, forget the whole Max thing, this summer has just been mental. It's been a hard shift for me. I've tried to prioritize my life around the kids and Grandma. Nearly all my earnings and free time go their way, which has been fine except for insecure ex-boyfriends who need endless amounts of attention. I feel no remorse for how _that_ turned out, but it's still just unbelievingly draining. And believe it or not I have been worried about the project. I know how much this whole thing means to you and I want you to have it. I want… well, a lot of things I suppose. I just snapped yesterday at how little control I have in my own life, and just sort of ended up taking it out on you. I honestly didn't mean to… oh drat, do you understand? I'm rambling again!" she stated, stomping her foot in frustration as she laid her siblings' belongings down on the table. Percy cocked an eyebrow.

"Audrey, you're talking to an obsessive compulsive neurotic bureaucrat, with the social skills of a three year old, who denounces a single error on a standard form an unmitigated disaster and is prone to melt downs and panic attacks. Oh, and I've recently picked up a disturbing habit of not only talking to myself, but replying back. So, yeah, I think I have you covered," he stated, a small grin etched on his face. Audrey laughed, a look of relief washing across her face at his answer. She bridged the gap between them and stood in front of him.

"I'm really sorry," she reiterated, grabbing both his hands and playing with them loosely. "I chased after you, you know. About two minutes after I shut the door I realized what I had done. I ran out into the street in to the alleyway still in my towel if you can believe it!" Percy laughed and laced his fingers in between hers.

"For some reason that is fairly easy to picture," he admitted, pulling her a few inches closer.

"It's true," she urged, pulling one of her hands free so she could slid it gently up his chest and around his neck. "I wanted to find you but I realized that I didn't actually know where your flat was. I even tried to brave renting an owl to try and contact you, but chickened out and decided to find you here today."

"That was sure a lot of effort just to say sorry," he whispered, letting go of her other hand so he could wrap his arms around her waist.

"Well, I know how worked up and high strung you can get about these things," she admitted, closing the last of the space between them by tugging on his neck with both hands. "I didn't want you to have to worry."

"That was very kind of you," he said, before cupping her chin with his thumb and index finger, lifting it up slightly. He bent down and closed his eyes, eager to feel the taste of her lips on his again. It amazed him how easily she calmed him. He had noticed all summer that he had begun to unwind, and was relatively less worked up about most things in his life. It seemed only things involving her directly still put him into tailspins. But then again, if following him to secluded areas and doing the things she was doing now to make up for such occurrences, maybe even that wasn't such a bad thing…

Their lips brushed against each other softly, and he felt a spark travel down his spine. He felt her hands creep up into his curly hair, signaling her intent to deepen into a proper kiss. He opened his eyes for just a second, wanting to see her see him smile, fully prepared to lose himself in the next moment.

A click from the flicker of an oil lamp announced that fate had other intentions.

"What is this?" George called from the storeroom door way. "Am I operating a brothel back here?"

Percy and Audrey both spun around to see George, Ama and David all staring at them from the doorway. George and Ama both wore mischievous and soppy grins on their faces. David stood by the oil lamp, his demeanor stoic and hard.

"Thanks for that comment, George," Audrey stated sarcastically, pushing herself off of Percy. "It's truly just what was needed." She shot a look over to her brooding brother, now eyeing Percy suspiciously.

"No problem," George replied, voluntarily oblivious.

"Oooh, is this the boss you're always talking about?" Ama asked, running to the couple.

"Uh, yeah," Percy fumbled, the realization that he was meeting her family for this first time just hitting him. "I'm Percy. It's nice to meet you."

He held out his hand, trying to make a good first…er.. second impression.

"You're right, Aud," Ama said, shaking his hand with a giggle. "He is wicked cute!"

"Ama!" Audrey hissed fierily, sounding as though she were about to prepare a scolding. But no more words came from her, and as the oil lamp shone brightly it was clear that her face had turned a deep, flushing red. Percy had never seen Audrey so embarrassed. He couldn't help but smile.

"You shouldn't say such things!" David snapped, taking the reins from his sister.

"Why not? I was just agreeing! He seems nice, I like him!" Ama stated, obviously revealing in the upset.

"Because he is her boss and you're being inappropriate," he insisted. "Besides," he added, casting his frightful stare over his little sister's head directly to Percy. "Just because blokes seem nice doesn't mean they are."

"David!" Audrey casted unbelievingly. "Why would you say…"

"Thank you Ama," Percy interjected quickly. "I'm glad you say you like me. But your brother is right, you shouldn't be too quick to judge people, positively or negatively. Especially boys who seem to reach beyond expectation."

Percy met David's gaze and gave what he hoped was a peaceful smile. Though Audrey seemed to be in shock and Ama was there to instigate, Percy felt he knew exactly where David was coming from. Despite being the middle child and only fifteen, David felt a responsibility to protect his sisters as the only male left in his family. He had earned his manhood in the dungeons, shielding Ama from the worst the Carrows threw, and was now testing it again against another kind of intruder. Percy could only imagine how David felt, seeing his beloved sister publically humiliated by Maxwell. The siblings were obviously very close and depended on another for survival. It was only natural that he felt protective, and David obviously wanted to leave little doubt in anyone's mind that he was ready to fight for his sisters.

David seemed to reciprocate Percy's understanding, and the harshness in his face softened into a small smile.

"If I ever like a boy I just plan on pitting him up against Bowie here anyways. Let him go all _Rebel, Rebel_ on him," Ama stated with a grin.

"Don't call me Bowie," David snapped, folding his arms over his chest.

"What's the problem with Bowie?" Percy asked, recalling from the file sheet David's middle name. Ama and Audrey both smiled slyly, the youngest giggling into her hands. David scowled.

"The problem is Dad thought it be a laugh to name me after an androgynous Muggle glam rock musician. How is anyone going to take me seriously with a name like that?" he demanded.

"Whatever, you know you love it," Ama retorted, nudging her brother in the ribs. "You named your guitar Ziggy Stardust for crying out loud."

"That's because I play it left hand and make it too far, alright," he replied curtly, though he smiled devilishly. "What the hell else was I supposed to call it?"

"And this is what I get to deal with in my spare time," Audrey stated, gesturing to her siblings who continued to bicker.

"Well if it helps, I don't think too many people in the Magical World have heard of this 'David Bowie' person, but I assure you I have heard much stranger names. Our boss' name is Spiro, a few before him was a man named Lyman, and my middle name is Ignatius, so I doubt you have too much to worry about," Percy offered, continuingly trying to make peace. David seemed to grin in spite of himself.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Audrey asked happily.

"Oh, not much. I should be getting out of here soon and then I figured I'd go…"

"You should come back to our place for lunch!" Ama interjected, tossing a sweet from her complimentary pack into her mouth. Percy felt as though he should be fazed by the teenager's directness, but then recalled just how open her sister was and found himself amused rather than annoyed.

"Ama, you should really let people finish their sentences before you go interrupting them," Audrey scolded softly.

"How else am I supposed to interrupt if I let them finish first?" Ama replied automatically.

"Cheeky," Audrey pronounced, rolling her eyes in a signal that she would now ignore her little sister. Percy couldn't help but laugh. He was so used to the bickering in his family and viewing Audrey as on her own; it was refreshing to see her in her family's dynamic.

"You are more than welcome to come over if you'd like," Audrey continued with a smile. "You took me to the Burrow. It's only fair you have a taste of some Larrabee cuisine."

"If you want to call Audrey's cooking cuisine…" Ama started off again, but was quickly silenced by David stuffing some chewing gum into her mouth.

"Sure," Percy said with a laugh. "I have to run by the Ministry first though. There are some things I need to pick up."

"Can we go too?" David asked, excitement creeping into his voice. "We've never been."

"And I'd rather like to keep it that way!" Ama whined through smacks of gum.

"Come on Ama. Don't you want to see how our government is run? It is very essential…" David stopped his speech to watch her blow a bubble twice the size of her head. With practiced brotherly instincts David quickly poked the bubble with his wand, causing it to pop and blow back onto her face.

"Gee whiz, can I not take you kids anywhere?" Audrey groaned, taking out her wand to clean off the mess on her giggling sister's face.

"No. Especially not the boring Ministry," Ama announced happily.

"What if I told you I might be able to make it worth your while?" Percy suggested, an idea popping into his head. "That is if your sister says it's okay."

* * *

"Percy, can I reiterate the fact that I love you?"

Percy grinned as he sat rigidly in the front seat of the decaying old Volkswagen Beetle that sped haphazardly down the road, clutching for dear life to the door handle as wind from the open windows blew violently into his face. He managed to turn his head up towards the crooked rear view mirror to catch the eye of the professor of adulation that sat beaming in the backseat.

"It was really nothing, Ama," he expressed, shouting above the blaring stereo.

Percy and the Larrabees were heading towards a Wizarding family park in the area after a particularly successful trip to the Ministry. Remembering that the youngest had celebrated her assent into teenagedom before Audrey's own birthday, Percy was inspired by a thought. After swinging by his office and picking up the last of the needed forms, he ushered the family to the organized and soon to be completely registered storage closet he and Audrey had worked on all summer. Telling the siblings they had to wait outside, Percy pulled Audrey in with him and announced his idea, asking her permission to carry forth with it. Audrey was profoundly dumbstruck.

"Are you serious?" she asked, excitement and disbelief spilling out.

"I'm always serious," he replied with a smile, taking her stupor as a yes. He grabbed a quill from his briefcase and went about making a slight figure adjustment to the master list.

"But… but this is huge!" Audrey exclaimed.

"I honestly think it is the least the Ministry can do," Percy stated offhandedly, weaving around organized stacks to the propped objects that lay against the wall.

"Couldn't you get into huge trouble over this?" she inquired nervously as he picked out his intended item. "I mean, this breaks so many rules. I thought there were stringent regulation practices on all this."

Percy grinned at hearing his words quoted back to him from the first time they stepped foot together in this room, and decided to respond in kind.

"They're just going to Banish it all anyways," he retorted, handing her the parcel. Audrey's face expanded into a grateful smile, and her eyes shone with passion and elated tears.

"Thank you," she whispered forcefully, brushing his face lovingly before they returned to the corridor where her siblings stood waiting.

"Amaline, the International Magical Trading Standards Body would like to congratulate you on your hallmark birthday and present with a token of affection," Percy announced officially, presenting the gift for her to see.

"No way!" David shouted happily, grinning from Percy over to his sisters. Ama, for once, seemed speechless at the presentation, and stood for a few seconds in shock.

"Ama," Audrey urged. "What do you say?"

Ama replied with a shocking girlish scream and launched herself at Percy and the gift. Percy had to laugh at how the attack hug given by a girl half his size nearly knocked him off his feet, and quickly relinquished the contraband to her excited hands.

"A Cleansweep 7!" Ama exclaimed. "Mint condition!"

"I know the model is a bit old," Percy admitted. "But it's all we have. Apparently black market smugglers of Nimbus and Firebolts are more evasive. Plus, it is what Fred and George flew."

"It's perfect!" she squealed, dancing around and hugging him again. "Thank you!"

"No problem," Percy replied happily. "Just promise me you'll knock a few uppity Ravenclaws off their brooms."

"Gryffindor all the way!" she assured him brightly. She checked the broom out once more and decidedly turned to her sister.

"You have my full permission to marry him," Ama stated matter of factly.

"Oh thanks, Ama," Audrey replied dryly, her cheeks reddening. "That's all we were waiting for, your permission."

They agreed upon making a quick stop at the park so Ama could try out her new ride before they went back to the Muggle neighborhood where Audrey's grandmother lived. Because they were underage they had taken the old family Beetle around London to get their errands done. Though properly bewitched to fit the four and breeze through the congested traffic safely, Percy couldn't help but clutch his safety belt as Audrey floored the machine to its full capacity, windows down and stereo up. Ama and David seemed completely unfazed by her driving and remained completely calm:

"Cellophane flowers of yellow and green,  
Towering over your head.  
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes,  
And she's gone…

Lucy in the Sky, with Diamonds!"

They all sang as Audrey zipped wildly between cars, Ama looking adoringly at her Cleansweep, David busy buried in the Ministry pamphlets Percy had given him back at the office. Three more tracks into _The Blue Album _(and yes, I do mean the Blue Album. It's the greatest hits from 1967-1970) Audrey pulled on to a passed by cobblestone street in the middle of modern suburbia and parked under the shade of ancient looking trees.

Ama bounded quickly out of the car and over to an open field filled with other school children engaged in a makeshift game of Quidditch. David pulled himself out of his readings and scanned the scene. He stopped searching when he noticed a solitary young witch immersed in a large school book.

"Brilliant," he grinned. "I had a feeling she'd be here." He scooped up his own books, making sure to grab his Prefect badge as he did, and walked determinedly to join the fastidious studier.

"So that's Gretchen," Audrey stated knowingly, smiling as she watched her brother settle down next to the strawberry blonde.

"Girlfriend?" Percy asked, climbing shakily out of the car.

"Well, we don't have any verbal confirmation on the subject, but Ama and I have our theories," she explained with a laugh. "Why he feels the need to hide the fact though is beyond me."

"Ah, well, boys at that age can be dumb about those kinds of things," Percy supplied, grinning in spite of himself.

"At that age?" Audrey asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"At any age. Boys are dumb about those kinds of things at any age," Percy corrected. Audrey laughed and led the way over to the shade of one of the giant trees. They watched in an enjoyed silence as Ama flew across the sky, knocking the Bludger with a skilled blow at an opposing Chaser. David seemed to be sharpening some skills of his own, as in almost no time he had Gretchen sitting as close to him without physically being in his lap, reading aloud out of his History of Magic book as he leaned them up comfortably against their own tree.

"Well that didn't take very long," Percy mused, nodding his head in their direction. Audrey broke out into a smile at the pair and let out a small giggle.

"You're not joking," she said happily. "I told him he looked rugged. I was so worried at first that the scarring on top of his initial shyness would make him more reserved. But he's really come out of his shell this last year. He's a lot more like Dad than he gives himself credit for."

Her smile flickered a bit at her statement, and she slowly pulled her gaze away from her brother down to the green grass that curled around her fingers. Percy watched her face with a keen passivity, knowing something was coming, and wanting her to know that he was ready to listen when it did.

"I try my best with them," she stated, with a desperate look of needing to be understood. "I know they can seem a bit… wild, but that's more or less how Mum and Dad raised us. And it's hard to know exactly when to step in and when to let them be. I don't want to be too harsh on them because they've been through so much and had to grow up so fast, but on the same note I know that they're still just kids who still need firm direction. And they are always changing in moods and likes, it's hard to keep up, and I have no clue if I'm doing anything right…"

"Audrey," Percy interrupted, stopping her before she descended into her hysteric rambling. "Just look at them." He pointed over to Ama whose skillful blow stopped the opposing team's Seeker from catching the Snitch, allowing for her team to win. Across the field, David and Gretchen were wrapped up in an intimate conversation, accented with little kisses after each finished as sentence.

"Looks to me as though they're spot on," he assured, smiling as she watched her siblings joyfully.

"Thank you," she said softly. "For everything. I think you managed to make their whole summer."

"It was nothing, really," he assured.

"No, it's everything," she stated firmly, her brown eyes flickering eagerly over his frame as she bit her lip. The intensity in her eyes made his stomach flutter, and he urged for the stolen moment in the store room to continue. But, knowing prying eyes were only a few feet away, he merely smiled.

"That reminds me," Audrey said suddenly, breaking the connection after clearing her throat. She rolled over on to her stomach and propped herself up. "I have something for you in the car."

"Just as long as you aren't driving me anywhere I'll be grateful," he joked, silently cursing the break in intimacy. Audrey shot him a look before opening up the trunk. Percy loped after her casually, expecting another flimsy box of Muggle records for him to listen to. He was shocked when he peered into the trunk.

It was her rendition of Starry Night, the painting of hers he had loved so much from the first time he visited her flat. Only upon further investigation, he realized this one was new. It was smaller than the other for one thing. And instead of looking out at a rolling country side, the painting showed a daylight shot of a very familiar bustling London street.

"This is right outside the Ministry, isn't it?" he gasped, looking at it closely. The details, though slightly skewed due to the dotted line style of art, were impeccably accurate, and he knew the answer before she replied.

"Yeah," she expressed with an excited modesty. "It's the viewpoint from your office. Or at least it would be if you're office wasn't underground."

"Audrey… this is… I can't even begin… I…" but Percy couldn't do much more than stutter at the offering. Audrey seemed to comprehend his meaning, and beamed at him brightly.

"Well, this isn't just for decoration. It has a practical side too, which I figured you'd appreciate," she continued to smile, but became more serious as she spoke. "You know, Van Gough painted Starry Night from the window of the insane asylum he checked himself into. This is supposed to be a reminder that there is a world outside of work, and all you have to do is step outside into it."

Percy remained speechless, watching as the clouds rolled by the Muggle skyline and people passed by the visitors' phone booth. He felt his insides swell at the gesture, and he had to use all of his emotional capabilities to with hold his tremendous feelings.

"Audrey, this is amazing. I can't believe you made this for me. It's perfect," he stated simply.

"Really?" she asked hopefully. "I wasn't sure if art was your thing."

"I love it," he assured. "Art always makes me feel secure." Audrey's face morphed into one of confusion, so Percy continued to elaborate on his statement.

"Art is the highest form of culture in a society, and cannot properly and freely exist if that society is in peril. Government is the foundation for a sturdy society. You being able to create art makes me feel as though I'm doing my job properly."

Audrey stared at him, mouth slightly open, and Percy worried that his honest statement came out condescending or selfishly.

"I think that is the highest compliment anyone has ever given me," she replied, beaming brightly. "You know, considering."

"Good," Percy breathed in reassurance. "Because I think this painting is bloody brilliant."

"Thanks. That's what Nash said," she admitted.

"Nash?" Percy asked off handedly. "Who's Nash?" He turned to look at her, and noticed her face had turned to that of guilt as if she was keeping a hurtful secret. Percy felt his heart start to freeze up and pressure mount in his face.

"Nash Jennings," she began slowly, biting her lip sorrowfully. "He's an artist. He just opened up a gallery in Diagon Alley. I showed him that painting and some of my old stuff, and he loved it."

"Oh!" Percy exclaimed, relief flowing through his body. "That's wonderful!"

"Yeah," she said softly, her face still timid. "He offered me a job."

"A job?" Percy repeated, not thinking straight after his initial upset.

"As an assistant director of the gallery," she explained quickly. "He saw that I know my way around taking care of both painting and supplies, and my experience at the Ministry means that I'm capable of doing clerical work, which I got the feeling he absolutely hates. It doesn't pay too fabulously, but I'll have a much more flexible schedule. He even said I could hang some of my work up on the side wall."

"That's… that's wonderful," Percy expressed, wishing he could at least seem more enthusiastic. This seemed to be the reaction Audrey feared merited breaking the news to him slowly. "Wh-when did you guys…er…talk?"

"The day after my birthday," she admitted. "I thought a lot about what you said, about how I'm an artist and how I should focus on that. I had heard about him opening and just went to check it out. Before I knew it we were talking, he asked to see my portfolio, and he hired me."

"Hired?" he asked. "So, you're already…"

"I told him I need to stay on a week so we could finish the project," she interjected quickly. "But afterwards… I mean, working around you has been the only thing I liked about this job, and regardless of who gets Weiss' post I have to go back to being a clerk."

She was right, of course. Percy had been so focused on the end of the project he didn't realize that it would also mean the end of them working together. If he got the sub-department head job he may see her occasionally running a memo or transcribing a meeting, but it would be nothing like how it had been. No more mornings spent picking over the things they thought about before they went to sleep. No more lunches planned out when she got bored of working. No more of the pleasant humming she did when she sat editing his files. No more brushing of hands when they reached out for the same quill…

"Percy?" Audrey called out to him, her lip indented from her worried bite. Percy snapped to attention.

"Congratulations," he said solidly, still unable to muster up the proper sentiment. He tried to copy George's easy grin, but he had a feeling it came out as a grimace. He watched as her own face seemed to lose its composure, and her features slowly began to fade into a look of sorrow. Cursing his own failings but determined not to let his own remorse ruin her good fortune, he did the only thing he could. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the tightest hug he could muster. She crashed into his chest, draping her arms loosely around his neck. Her hair spilled everywhere due to their position, hiding her face. He straightened it out gently before pulling her back in closely.

"I'm so happy for you," he whispered. "I know how big a deal this is."

"Yeah," she responded non-committedly, before tightening her own hold on him and burying herself deeper in his arms.

"Gee whiz, I just pulled one sibling away from snogging their daylights out, don't make me do it again!"

Percy and Audrey both turned around to see Ama trudging their direction, broom kept firmly in one hand while tugging David along in the other.

"I was not snogging," David insisted, trying to pull his hand away. "And neither were they. You need to grow up."

"No, I need to be fed," she grumbled.

"Ah, yes. It does seem to be past lunch time, doesn't it?" Audrey stumbled awkwardly, checking her watch. "How about we head home?"

"May I drive?" Percy inquired suddenly, the impulse of needing to do something productive hitting him like an addiction.

"Do you know how?" Audrey asked.

"Yes. I spent the summer before fifth year helping my dad fix up an old Ford Angela. He was always too excited to do a lot of the manual reading so I had to help steady him. We took it out around town a lot. That is, before my brother crashed it into the Womping Willow," he explained.

"Brilliant!" Ama exclaimed as she slipped into the back seat.

"Alright," Audrey replied, handing him over the keys as though exhausted. They switched sides and he settled into the driver's seat. Audrey rolled up the windows and turned the music down as he started the engine, allowing him more room to concentrate on driving. It had been a few years since he last sat behind the wheel, but he had spent that summer memorizing the rules in the Theory Test handbook he had picked up at the London Driving Standards Agency, and still felt confident in his abilities. Audrey directed him out of the neighborhood and on to the correct motorway to their neighborhood half heartedly. When he accessed the road, she reverted to silence. David and Ama kept quiet too, leaving only the music and the fast paced drivers to distract Percy from his thoughts.

Leaving. She would be leaving soon. He felt a cold rush of anger towards himself. He had been such a prat about the whole thing. He had spent ages denying his feelings towards her. True she had been in a relationship, but he had known from the start it was a bad one. He should have listen to George's advice and not let the technicality that a girl may be dating someone else stop you from the ones you really like. And Merlin knows he more than liked her…

He should have done something sooner. He should haves swept her off her feet the instant he laid eyes on her. Or at least with in the first week. Hell, first month even.

And when he finally realized how much he cared for her, what had he done? Nothing. No decisive action. Things were complicated, things were delicate, he needed to wait. Codswallop. He was scared. Scared of her rejecting him. Almost as frightened of her saying yes. What would she want to do with him? What if she went out with him and decided he was too much of a loser to be seen with? The mounting pile of possible rejection nearly suffocated him. He swallowed hard as he tried to focus on his exit. He thought he had time to get over all of this. Time for things to settle out, for him to be ready. And now it was too late. There was not enough time and too much fear. He was afraid, and…

_Hey Jude, don't be afraid  
You were made to, go out and get her  
The minute, you let her under your skin  
Then you begin, to make it better._

Percy nearly swerved the car into the next lane.__

_What was that? _he asked, staring in disbelief at the radio. That couldn't have just sounded from the speakers.

_And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders  
For well you know that it's a fool, who plays it cool  
By making his world a little colder_

This had to be some kind of magic. The radio charmed to give him this advice. But he looked up into the rearview mirror and saw David and Ama singing along as they sat lazily in the back. He focused his attention back to the dash in awe.

_Hey Jude, don't let me down  
You have found her, now go and get her  
Remember, to let her into your heart _  
_Then you can start to make it better_

"Take a left here," Audrey said quietly, pulling him out of his amazement. He directed his eyes back to the road and took in his surroundings. He judged that he was actually fairly close to Audrey's own flat, but in the more residential area as there were hardly any stores or warehouses. Just tiny house after tiny house, all in their own state of shamble. She pointed to blue chipped house in the middle of the block, and Percy took his measures to park in front of it. Unlike some of the other homes, the yard was well kept, with short, weed free grass and a well swept walkway.

"Ama," Audrey said suddenly, turning around to her sister quickly. "You should probably put your broom in the shed before Nana sees it."

Ama's eyebrows shot up into her bangs.

"But… but she'll use it to sweep the kitchen if I leave it there!" she pleaded.

"Well, offer to do the sweeping for her and you won't have to worry about it," Audrey suggested humorlessly. "You know magic things upset her."

"Fine!" Ama groaned, rolling her eyes as she got out of the car. She slammed the door behind her and ran around the backside of the house. David followed after her, opening the front gate and sauntering into the house, a smile still spread upon his face as he returned his thoughts to his afternoon in the park.

"Nana's really sweet," Audrey began softly, staring at her lap. "And she loves us and everything. But she's had a rough life, and magic has given her nothing but trouble. So we try to expose it to her as little as possible."

"Sounds reasonable," Percy replied, staring at her strongly as though seeing her for the first time. Audrey seemed taken aback by his gaze, and opened her mouth several times as if to say something, never finding any words.

"Shall we go inside?" Percy suggested easily, taking out the keys and returning them to her.

"Huh? Oh… yes." She shook her head and released a funny noise, laughing as she did. Percy chuckled along with her as they got out of the car.

There was a small patio porch just outside the door filled with pots and hanging baskets of flowers. It was a stiflingly hot August, and though the plants looked as though they were well cared for, they still succumbed to the laws of nature, and had begun to wilt. Audrey looked sadly upon a basket of dull, wilted purple flowers before opening the door.

Percy stepped inside and found the area shockingly small. He had grown up with enchantments that expanded the insides of little areas, or the ability to simply build on top of them as in the case of the Burrow. He was therefore surprised to see that despite having to shelter three, accommodate four, and make room for the occasional fifth guess, the place really was as tiny as it looked. A sofa, a love seat and a rocking chair filled the spaces in front of the walls of the living room. A small oval coffee table and a chest of drawers that held up what he knew to be a television left only minimal room to walk around. To the left was a narrow yellow kitchen, scrubbed clean and organized, but still the cabinets burst with kitchenware. To the right were three doors, two of which were opened. The middle door gave way to a cramped bathroom and shower, barely leaving any room for one to stand. The other door showcased an impossibly small bedroom that somehow managed to hold two cots, two trunks, an armoire, and the littered possessions of two teenagers. Seeing that the brother and sister not only had to share such tight quarters in the rest of the house but also had to share a room lead Percy to think they got along much better than they should.

"That room's not actually that small," Audrey whispered. "I enchanted it larger for prosperity reasons but had to cast an Illusion charm for Nana. Not much bigger mind you, but they have a good ten feet from each other's cot instead looking like they share a bed."

"I was wondering," Percy replied warmly, craning his head down both to whisper and because he kept brushing his head against the low ceiling.

"Audrey, are you home?" a dusty voice called from the third room.

"Yes Nana," Audrey called clearly then turned back to Percy. "I'll be right back. Make yourself at home."

Percy nodded as she slipped into her grandmother's room and carefully made his way into the living room. He realized the cramped atmosphere of the main room was further compromised as the back wall was filled with still Muggle photographs. He maneuvered himself slowly into the narrow space between the couch and coffee table in order to take a closer look.

Family photos hung in no particular chronological order stared back at him. Some looked warn and faded as though they had been exposed to the sun that filtered through the front window for years. Others looked crisp and new. He looked at a photo of a man with stiff black hair and a bushy mustache, leaning back against the same couch Percy stood in front of, holding a guitar out to the rapt attention of the young, sandy haired boy next to him. It had to be Daniel Larrabee, Audrey's adoptive grandfather, teaching her father how to play guitar. He smiled at the photo. They looked rather happy.

A few photos away he saw what looked like the fourteen year old versions of her parents, dressed in Muggle winter attire, Chris laying a kiss on Lucia's rosy cheek. Next to it hung a wedding photo of the couple, both looking radiantly happy, the small bump of Lucy's stomach already prevalent. A few inches over lay the result of that bump perhaps eight years later. Audrey smiled back at him with a few missing teeth, clad in a shiny blue jersey, kneeling on one knee in front of a black and white football. She was rather cute.

His eyes however were soon drawn to movement on a side table, and noticed that one photo was actually Wizarding. He picked the gilded frame off the table and inspected it closely. It was of what looked like the whole Larrabee clan: grandmother, parents and children. Chris Larrabee's tan face and white smile charmed the side of the photo, and Percy realized he had them crowded together so he could manually take the photo with him in it. Audrey and her mother linked arms, and he was amazed once again at how similar they looked. Ama stood under her grandmother's chin, and as she bounced up and down he imagined she stood on her tiptoes to get in the shot. David smiled shyly to the side, a pair of blazing blue eyes staring back. Percy could just make out the Christmas tree in the background. This had to be the last family photo they had taken.

Hearing noise from the bedroom, Percy quickly put the photo back in place and swung around. Audrey walked with a feeble looking woman, sandy streaks highlighting her otherwise white hair. Judging from the picture he just saw, she had aged significantly in the last two years.

"Nana," Audrey said kindly. "This is my boss and friend, Percy Weasley."

"How do you do, Mrs. Larrabee?" Percy asked, holding out his hand for her to take.

"Quite well," she replied with a nervous smile. Percy was struck with the thought that he may be the first full grown wizard she wasn't blood related to she had talked to since her ex-husband. He was for the second time that week grateful his father had worked around Muggles for so long, and made a mental note to try and act as "normal" as possible to keep Nana Larrabee at ease around him.

"I think David and Ama are outside playing football. I was going to go heat up the stew from last night for lunch, does that sound alright?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, dear. I'll keep Percy company," Nana Larrabee replied distantly, taking a seat in her rocking chair. Audrey gave the two a smile before disappearing into the kitchen. Percy took a seat on the couch, trying to think of something polite to say.

"So, you work with my Audrey at the Ministry of Magic?" she asked quickly. Percy smiled. Despite looking rather elderly the Larrabee bluntness still seemed to fuel the matriarch.

"Yes ma'am. She's been a remarkable woman to work with," Percy stated easily.

"Ah yes, she's always been quite remarkable. As sweet and loving as her mother and as charming and witty as my Christopher. She takes rather good care of us all. Makes me feel not so bad about being so useless."

"I'm sure…" Percy began, trying to deflect the woman's put down, but was stopped when she good-naturedly patted his arm, pushing him to stop.

"Have you ever watched _EastEnders_?" Nana Larrabee asked, picking up a plastic looking brick with buttons on it.

"Err…" Percy muttered, not sure of what to say.

"Oh that's right. I suppose you never had a Telly. Good thing I suppose. Rots your brain with all of its rubbish and radio waves. But it's too late for me I dare say. I never miss an episode."

She flipped on the TV with her plastic brick and sat back to watch her program. Percy had never watched TV before and tried to hide his excitement. It was its own form of magic to see the dramatic happenings of Albert Square, and watched with rapt attention. Nana Larrabee kept her eyes on the screen, but took it upon herself to fill him in.

"That Peggy Mitchell, she's always been a fighter. Poor dear, that whole Frank fiasco about near broke my heart."

Percy merely nodded, enchanted by the images flashing before him, and it was only after the smell of food hit his nose, causing his stomach to growl that he pulled himself out.

"Come on kids!" he heard Audrey shout through the window. "Foods on!" He heard a rumble as Ama came inside, giggling madly as she dropped the black and white ball into a basket, holding what looked to be David's glasses in her hand.

"Give those back!" David demanded, rushing after her huffily. He started gaining on her but was quickly taken out after he ran into the couch.

"Ha ha, you lost your depth perception!" Ama proclaimed.

"AMA!" Audrey announced, snatching David's glasses out of her hand. Percy jumped off the couch and helped David to his feet. "That's not funny. Why would you do that?"

"He knows why," she said defensively. "He said that…"

"I deserved it," David stated quickly. "Don't worry. Ha ha, very funny Amaline." He winced in pain as he rubbed his busted knees. Ama's grin began to fade and she quickly took David's glasses back to him.

"Even Steven?" she asked kindly, bending over to make sure he was okay. David grinned wildly.

"Deal."

"Ugh, I don't even want to know then," Audrey admitted, bringing out a tray for Nana and bowls of soup for the rest. They sat around the small coffee table, _EastEnders_ playing in the background as they ate and talked merrily. Percy sat in amazement as he watched the tragically small yet none the less happy family interact with one another. He was left in no doubt how important her family was to her, and despite being seemingly frustrated with her siblings' antics all day, he had never seen her look so relaxed and happy. He felt his infinite affection for her raise.

After a quick lunch the family dispersed, Nana Larrabee retiring to her room while David and Ama returned to the backyard to finish up their Muggle sport game. Percy stayed behind with Audrey and helped her clear the dishes.

"I can't believe you watched soaps with my grandmother," Audrey laughed, running the hot water and preparing the soap.

"I liked it," he urged, grabbing a dish towel off the rack. "It was fascinating."

"Well, you certainly are a good sport," she proclaimed, submerging the first of the dishes in the soapy water. They continued to talk playfully as they washed the dishes the Muggle way, flicking suds at the other occasionally and filling the kitchen with laughter. Neither of them broached the topic of her quitting, but he had a feeling it remained on each of their minds. He had to admit every time he thought of it a sharp pain hit his stomach, but he was easily able to shake it off with his new thought.

"I should really get going," he stated as they put the last of the plates up. "I still have all those reports to fill out."

"Oh. Yes of course," she replied, disappointment haunting her voice. "I'll walk you out."

They made their way through the living room and out on to the small porch. It was much later in the day than he expected, and the sun had already begun to set. They stood out on the patio for a moment, watching the sky turn pink as the sun began to fade.

"I can't believe the quarter's almost over," Audrey said, staring out into the distance. "It seems like we've been working on this project for ages, but it really has only been three months, hasn't it?"

"Three hectic yet wonderful months," Percy agreed, turning towards her seriously. She smiled nervously and her cheeks began to blush.

"I've gotten so used to working around the Ministry and seeing you all the time, it's going to be so strange working someplace else," she admitted, looking down at her feet.

"I know," Percy replied. And then he took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and summoned every ounce of Gryffindor courage he possessed.

"That's why I think we should go out to dinner," he stated firmly. "Very soon."

Audrey looked at him in surprise, a smile crossing her face.

"You mean, like a work wrap up?" she asked hesitantly.

"No," he replied strongly. Audrey bit her lip.

"You mean, like… like a date?" she inquired breathlessly.

"No," he responded. He watched her face twitch and fall before he continued.

"Not like a date. _A_ date. You, me, dinner. No work, no Max, no Cordelia. Just us."

Audrey looked at him, disbelief etched across her face as she refrained from responding. Percy stepped in closer, eager to get his point across. He grabbed her limp hands firmly and decided to let what he had been feeling for ages finally come out.

"Audrey, I'm mad about you. I can never get you out of my head. I know I'm not the easiest person to be around, but when I'm with you I feel so… right. I know you just ended things with Max and I'm still technically your boss, but I don't care. I don't want to be without you. The mere thought of not being able to see you all the time drives me absolutely mental. I feel like we're on a roll and if you leave something might break that. I won't let that happen if I can at all help it. So come out with me. Please."

He stood firmly in front of her, emotionally wiped at the stringent honesty he just admitted. Audrey continued to stand quietly in front of him, face still frozen in disbelief. For a terrifying moment he wondered if he had gone too far. Had he misread the signs she put out? Was this really not the time or place for him to say this? Would she turn around and leave, forever haunting his dreams as the right girl in the wrong time?

"Percy!" she cried, flinging herself into his arms. She wrapped herself tightly around his waist and buried her face into his chest. Percy felt a profound rush of elation course throughout his body, and he couldn't help but laugh in relief as he pulled her in even closer.

"_I did it_," he thought happily, burying his face into her sweet smelling hair.

"When?" she asked breathlessly, still crushed firmly against his chest.

"When?" he repeated in a daze, in such a stupor he didn't quite catch what she meant.

"Oh! The date!" he shouted, finally getting what she meant. He hadn't thought that far in advance, and he realized how useless his brain was when his heart and hormones rushed so thoroughly through his body. "Err… Wednesday. Wednesday night."

"Wednesday?" she asked, popping her head out for the first time. Her eyes and face were slightly red though her smile shone brightly. "The night before your presentation is due?"

"Yeah," he urged. "We should be done with everything by then. It'll be the perfect way to spend the night before, otherwise I'm bound to hang myself with nerves."

"You're saying I'll make a good distraction?" she teased, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm saying you're the only thing asides from my family that is more important to me then work," he replied honestly. Audrey's mouth gaped open in surprise before it morphed into a mischievous grin. Her frame went limp in his arms and she let herself fall backwards as though she had fainted. Percy flexed his arms to make sure she didn't fall and laughed as she swung loosely back and forth.

"You sure do know how to sweep a girl off her feet," she said through her own laughs. Percy jerked his arms towards him and she snapped back into his chest. "I think that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Considering?" he asked with a happy laugh.

"Period," she confirmed, pulling their faces together. They rested their foreheads against each other, and she once again ran her fingers through his curly red locks.

"Audrey," he moaned to her, pulling her in close. He watched her smile as she tilted her head up towards his…

"EWWWW!" a voice called called from inside. Audrey's face fell into that of ridged annoyance as she turned around to see her siblings pressing their faces against the front window.

"See _that_ was going to be a snog," David explained lightly as Ama made squished faces against the glass.

"I'm going to kill both of you for this!" she yelled in upmost malice, staring daggers at the two as she remained in his arms. Percy laughed.

"Whoa the joys of parenthood," he announced.

"Jeeze, it makes you really appreciate the fact that your parents didn't stuff you in a sack and toss you off a bridge," she muttered, pulling away slowly and crossing her arms. "I'm sorry."

"Merlin knows I have more than enough siblings to understand," he replied lightly. He turned to pick one of the wilting purple flowers out of her basket. As he brushed away her hair, the flower perked up, bloomed and deepened in color before he tucked it behind her ear.

"Until Wednesday," he whispered, kissing her cheek steadily.

"Can't wait," she replied, her hand instantly cupping the area as soon as he pulled away. He waved merrily to David and Ama who still stayed at rapt attention to the scene before disembarking down the steps and heading towards the street. He sauntered casually down the street, feeling dashing enough not to turn around, knowing she watched him leave. His heart rushed rapidly and he felt like he could just about burst. Instead, he merely grinned, tucking his hands into his pockets as he rounded the corner.

"_Nah, nah, nah, nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey Jude."_

_**(A/N: Sexually frustrated anyone? I know I am. Luckily the cure may lay in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed Audrey's family as much as I enjoyed writing them. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and don't forget to stay tuned!)**  
_


	20. Perfect

Perfect

Percy Weasley couldn't remember the last time he had felt this way. He remembered the excitement he had felt three months earlier when he had made his way to work, certain that he was to become the next sub-department head. He brought to mind the horror that had flooded through his body when he felt sure he had killed his clerk of only a week by having her open an unknown potion hastily. He recalled the cool confidence that had over taken him while talking to the statesmen at the Ball as they congregated around him, earnestly interested in what he had to say. And he was sure he would never forget the fluttering, gut-wrenching feeling that had taken hold of him after reading The File, knowing he would have to reveal what he had done. Not only did he remember all these emotions, he felt them now, all at once, and perhaps more intently than ever.

Tonight was the night. The evening he had been waiting for his whole life, though he only realized this about a week ago. He exhaled deeply as he stepped out of the steaming shower, his second one he had taken since arriving home at 5:15. He would finally be taking Audrey out on a proper, straight forward date. They had agreed upon him picking her up at seven, giving them both about an hour and a half to get home from work and prepare. What Audrey didn't know was he had been preparing for this evening since the moment she had agreed to go out with him.

He dragged his red cotton towel through his hair before wrapping it securely around his waist. With blurred vision he took a look at himself in the foggy mirror. Despite being less than a fortnight away from twenty-four, he still envisioned himself as the scrawny, awkward teenage boy who could never quite get the hang of Quidditch and instead buried himself in school work. But now, as he took a closer look for the first real time in ages, he realized his self image need to be readjusted. He was still as wiry as ever, and as he never strenuously worked out he was hardly cut. Yet some amount of natural muscle was defined in his lean arms and he no longer looked boyishly skeletal. His oval face finally caught up to his long nose somewhere along the way, and, thanks to a certain someone, his hair no longer piled up in wayward curls. Despite the fact that his ears continued to stick out and his interestingly green eyes were hidden by his thin horn-rimmed glasses, he supposed his symmetrical features weren't all that appalling. In fact, for the first time in his life he wouldn't oppose the idea that he could qualify as being moderately attractive. Not the best looking of blokes, but he doubted anyone would ask him to put a paper bag over his head either.

He laughed at his thought as he opened his door and walked into his bedroom. He was trying to up his confidence. He was a bundle of raw nerves and he knew he had to soothe himself for things to go just right. The past three days had been both wonderful and stressful, happy and panic laden, filled with impatience and disbelief that time had passed as quickly as it had. It was only around lunch time that day that Percy had finished pouring through his reports and numbers, deemed them satisfactory, and then sat combing through all of it again. There was almost nothing more that could be done for tomorrow's presentation but to make it through the night.

And what a night he had to make it through! At the time Audrey's comment on setting their date for the night before his presentation had been a laugh. All he cared about was seeing her as soon as possible. She had joked that he was using her as a distraction from work, when in actuality, the project was the only thing keeping him steady in preparation for the night.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. Every spare moment he possessed, and many of those that should have been reserved to other things, he had spent slipping into a stupor of excitement. He was almost in shock over that fact that she had so ardently agreed to see him he felt he didn't know what to do with himself. Work the past three days had been strangely insufferable. The whole department was in a crazed panic as the quarterly reviews drew near, and workers and memos continued to make their way into his office, leaving little room for a private conversation. Audrey had looked more beautiful than ever throughout the week, smiling radiantly non-stop as she double checked his reports. He lived for the sporadic moments they had an excuse to be close together. He had grabbed her hand to steady her as she reached up on to one of the department cabinets to grab an overhanging file, and even though others were around, they let the contact linger a few more seconds than necessary. When they packed themselves onto the lift during busy periods like lunch hour, she always leaned her back into his chest and granted him room to sneak an arm low around her waist as the crowd stared forward. And they had gotten to hold each other for a few blissful seconds in the stairwell.

They had been rushing to meet a deadline that was set to end in five minutes, and decided to sprint down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. She had trailed behind him and slipped down the last few stairs, causing her to stumble forward. He had spun around in enough time to catch her, and she fell ungracefully into his arms. They spared a second to laugh at the occurrence, and held each other's eyes as they did so. The rush of adrenaline and her nearness made him feel brazen enough to take the moment to kiss her, but the door in front of them opened up, revealing another pair of stair-takers. Kingsley and his father entered the stairwell, apparently sharing the same idea that climbing would be quicker, and caught the two in their embrace. Percy wasn't sure who he was more horrified at seeing him in his compromising situation, and immediately began to flush deeply. Thankfully, Audrey managed to duck down and pick up her missing shoe that had been the cause of the spill, and sped into thanking Percy for catching her. Percy responded in kind and excused himself from his father and the Minister's company by reiterating the dire need to make their deadline. They ran away not seeing the older men smile.

Percy had felt like this evening would never arrive. He had lain in bed the last three nights staring at his ceiling, desperate for the time to pass and occupying the hours thinking of just how to make the evening perfect. His nights of thorough planning had manifested themselves into a line of material objects that lay meticulously on top of his bureau. As he carefully dressed himself, he ran through his inventory one more time.

One velvet cloth sack filled with stale bread crumbs, to be placed in his inside jacket pocket. He planned to take them on a walk around the park where they first met so they could talk privately and fed her favorite ducks.

Two brand new glass flutes and a bottle of moderately priced champagne, to be left ready to Summon upon reaching a strategically placed bench. The last two evenings he had wandered out around the park lake and determined the best bench of the bunch to sit and watch the sunset. He even laid out a Muggle-repealing charm on the seat, to ensure no other couple beat them to it.

And lastly, two tickets to a Muggle musical called _Beauty and the Beast_. He had once heard Hermione talking about the story and the way Muggles thought of types of enchantments and magic. The plot seemed appropriate for a romantic date anyhow, and the Muggle ticket seller ensured that him that women loved it. If nothing else, it should be a laugh to see how close they got to getting magic right.

As for what would happen after the show…

Percy caught his breath as he allowed himself to wander to the deeper recesses of his mind. Merlin knows how bad he wanted her. In the few intimate touches they had shared he had gotten a brief feel of her body. Each little touch left him wanting more, _needing _more. His mind traveled over to the way her Ball dress showed off the soft curves of her chest and hips, how slim and shapely her legs looked when she had answered the door clad only in a baggy t-shirt, and how even when they fought on the stairs at her flat and she had left him feeling so angry, he had always been very aware that she was only covered in a loosely wrapped towel…

Percy shook his head and marched himself into the kitchen. He let the cold water of his sink run as he splashed himself in the face. He was determined for _those_ thoughts to be shut out. Yes, his more primitive, animalistic side desired her, but that was not the point. He was through with empty flings and was determined to do this right. It could already be said that they were rushing things as it was, that they were fighting against bad timing. He didn't want to ruin what relationship they had by succumbing to physical urges. There would plenty of time for that if things went smoothly. Percy grinned.

He walked back into his room, slipping the bread crumbs into his grey sports coat and putting the tickets inside his billfold securely. He made sure his slacks were neat and that his collar was straight. He debated for a second whether or not he should wear a tie but discarded the thought. Semi-formal is what he needed. Nice but not pretentious. That was what he was going for, both in his looks and personality.

"Spot on," Mirror Percy stated encouragingly from the armoire. "Now just try not to fall on your face and I think you may actually have a shot."

Percy cocked an eyebrow at his cheeky reflection before grabbing his wand and Disapperating to the alley.

* * *

He was all smiles as he climbed over the accumulated piles of rotten rubbish that lay abandoned in the alley. This was actually happening! In a few minutes he'd be in her flat, probably sitting comfortably on her couch as she scrambled to get ready. He imagined her in a pretty yet simple sundress with nicely pressed hair, coupled with her duck slippers and only one eye lined with makeup when he showed up promptly at seven. He would tease her gently as she made her hasty apologies, secretly grinning at having allotted a twenty minute window in his plan for her to be late. The night was going to be perfect, and he was more than prepared to accommodate her "fashionably late" habits.

He casually sauntered the few blocks to her flat, watching the crowded streets with interest. As usual, _he_ was early, and he needed to pace himself to give Audrey some time. Muggle children ran through the streets as grandparents chatted idly on their porches. Restaurants were putting out tables for the dinner rush while the smaller businesses started closing down for the day. Percy stopped outside a small flower booth next to the grocery store as he spotted a black bucket filled with large, bursting lilies. One in particular caught his eye. It was primarily a deep red, but it had various orange spots on its petals as though someone had drizzled paint over the flower. He thought to himself how foolish it was of him not to think of flowers in the first place, seeing as she loved them, and quickly reached into his billfold and pulled out the Muggle change he received from buying the play tickets. The giant flower in hand, he continued down the end of the street to the large oak doors of her apartment.

As was expected, he heard the yapping bark and scurrying of claws as the toy poodle caught wind of Percy's sent. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wand and produced a red rubber ball out of thin air. He squeaked it twice, contemplated chucking it out into the middle of traffic, but instead bounced it back into the office area. Muffin skidded to a halt and spun around after it, barking madly as he did. Percy laughed at the dumb animal before making his way up the stairs. He checked his watch as he rounded the last landing. Seven o'clock on the dot. Perfect.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" a loud, booming voice demanded from down the hall.

Percy wasn't sure if he believed in God. Christianity had been a part of the English landscape for many centuries, and the Wizarding world was fully aware of it. Many purists argued against the cult, labeling it Muggle mythology. Others subscribed to the ideas, despite witchcraft being a direct violation of the belief. What are miracles and rewarded faith if not a branch of magic, and since when has hypocrisy not been attached to religion? Percy had never been able to settle on such a topic that depended wholly on faith without much substantial proof either way, but he felt as though he would declare himself a stringent lifetime worshiper to any deity that would ensure him the words that had just filled the hallway did not belong to the man he knew they did.

"What am I doing?" Audrey repeated hysterically, her voice carrying from her open door down the hall. "I think that question is best directed back at you, Maxwell!"

Percy's chest tightened considerably. He was momentarily stunned as his body flooded with anger, disbelief and confusion. What was Max doing here? Audrey had told him things between them were over, and rightly so. She had confided in him that it had been weeks since the last time Max had stepped foot in her flat. So why was he here tonight, of all nights? Why had the lecherous Quidditch player come out of oblivion, ruining Percy's perfectly planned night? Eager to have these questions answered, Percy quietly made his way to the door.

He stood in the open door frame, staring at the scene with quiet poise. Neither Audrey nor Max seemed to register his presence. Percy assumed the door was left open after the man came in. He got the feeling that he had forced his way through, as a kitchen chair lay shattered on the ground as though up turned angrily. Percy felt adrenaline pump through his veins at the thought.

Max and Audrey stood facing each other in the living room. As he imagined, Audrey was very beautifully dressed, in a black and white cotton dress, hair up in a loose curly bun. She even seemed fully ready to go out, as she wore proper heels. All except her makeup seemed perfect, as two black streams streaked her cheeks as angry tears poured out of her eyes.

Max stood defiantly in front of her, holding out a large pink object Percy recognized as the gaudy diamond necklace he had sent her for her birthday. He seemed outraged at the woman in front of him and jerked forward quickly after being yelled at.

"I told you, you don't know what you're talking about! You aren't leaving me over a stupid tabloid!" he stated, trying to thrust the diamond back into her face.

"You're right, I'm not," she hissed back. "I've _left _you because you are a selfish, immature, undeserving, lying arse who treated me like dirt and an afterthought. The only thing that is stupid about this is that it took me over half a year to see this and break it off."

"Don't do this, Babe," Max threatened, getting ever closer. Audrey stood, arms crossed unflinchingly.

"Max, you are such an idiot!" she exclaimed, finally pushing him away.

"Are you going to believe what you see or what I tell you?" he demanded, snatching her thin wrist roughly with his callous hand.

"HEY!" Percy barked without delay, bursting through the door way. Max and Audrey snapped their heads towards his direction as he marched angrily through the kitchen.

"Percy!" Audrey cried, a mix of terror and relief seeping through her inflection.

"Take your fucking hands off of her!" Percy roared, pulling out his wand and pointing it straight at Max's face. A flash of fear filled the man's eyes and he quickly tightened his hold on Audrey, grabbing her tight to use her as a shield between himself and Percy.

"WEASLEY!" Max growled, taking out his own wand and jabbing it into Audrey's neck. "That's what this is all about, you bloody whore? Have you been shagging the ginger while Daddy's been away, you filthy bitch?" Audrey gasped out in pain as Max simultaneously stabbed her throat with the tip of his wand, while his other hand twisted one of her breasts roughly as he forced her tight against his body.

"Let her go!" Percy yelled frantically, a hundred horrific hexes passing through his brain, all of which were useless while Audrey was continually used as a shield.

"I should have known a tramp like you would throw yourself at the closest available man as soon as my eye was turned off you. Especially around a Weasley. Those destitute bastards can never keep it in their bloody trousers! Even the pompous, rambling traitor who…ERGH!"

Max howled in pain and doubled over roughly, throwing his weight on top of Audrey who began to stumble towards the ground. Audrey tried to keep her feet, Max still wrapped around her as he moaned in agony, a look of pure hatred on her face. Despite how terrified she was, she had managed to unlock her ridged knees and stomp on his foot with her stiletto heel. Swiftly following that hit, she had managed to dip her elbow down and released a jarring blow between his legs, in hopes that in the midst of his pain he would let her go. Unfortunately, Max made a career out of holding on to dear life in high stress situations, and managed to keep his death like vice on her.

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU BITCH!" Max screamed. He grabbed Audrey's arm tightly and threw her forcefully to the ground. Her head hit the piano bench with a loud crack.

"Audrey!" Percy cried, rushing over to her side. Audrey didn't move.

"I'll show you to mess with me!" Max yelled madly. Percy stopped his dash over to the still un-stirring woman that lay on the floor, a premonition for what was about to come flashing through his head.

"_Confringo!" _Max cursed, pointing his wand at the mass of Audrey's body.

"NO!" Percy commanded, throwing his willowy body into Max's compact frame. Max stumbled backwards, his curse hitting the ceiling with an exploding flame. Percy too fell forward, having run at Max with all his might. He pushed himself quickly off the ground, trying to shield his and Audrey's body from the drops of fire that fell from above

"Fine!" Max shouted, a twisted grin filling his handsome features. "You'll go first, Weasley."

Percy watched as Max began to point at his body. His own wand was still firmly in his hand, just begging to be used. But regardless of the fact that Percy was a seasoned dualist with an endless amount of curses in his arsenal, not one came to mind. He was blinded by rage at the man who had so viciously harmed the thing most precious to him, in more ways than one. Shouting a spell in his direction, no matter how harmful the outcome, was not good enough. Max had personally attacked the woman Percy cared about more than anything, and Percy could only respond in kind. Despite having never done such a thing in his life, Percy clenched his hand, threw all of weight forward, and connected his fist against Max's chiseled face before the man could complete his curse. Max fell backwards, his feet knocked from under him, blood flowing out of his once perfect nose.

"Shite!" Max yelled, cupping his hands over his oozing face. Blazing eyes peered between his fingers, and with amazing reflexes, Maxwell was back on his feet. Percy had dropped his wand in the skirmish, and could only stand in a fighting pose as he stared down Max's glare. He knew he had only gotten a successful blow in by catching Max by surprise, and he knew it would be unlikely that he would get in another good shot, even without Max using magic. But at that moment, Percy didn't care. Audrey had fought him bravely, and Percy would not dishonor her actions by backing down. He would rush forward with every ounce he had in him for as long as he was able.

"You'll pay for that one, Weasley," Max sneered as he began to wave his wand.

"_Expulso-"_

"_Expelliarmus! Protego!" _

Max's wand flew out of his hands before he could get out the last syllable of the explosive curse, and then he himself was shocked as he tried to walk forward. Percy spun around to see Audrey, clutching the end of her whitewash piano, a fierce look in her eyes and her wand held out strongly. Blood seeped from a thick gash on her forehead, and streams of red intertwined with black mascara tears.

"Get out of here, Max!" Audrey demanded through a ragged breath. "I mean it! Leave, and don't ever come back."

Max look at her as though stunned; the realization of what he had and had almost done finally hitting him. His face contorted into one of immense regret, and he moved as close to her as the shield would allow.

"Audrey," he said pitifully, holding his arms uselessly at his side.

"Out," she replied firmly, taking a steady step forward so the shield forced him back. Max stumbled backwards, shame and guilt radiating from his hunched posture. He slowly turned away and headed out of the flat, pausing only to bend down to pick up his wand before he shut the door behind him.

Audrey instantly collapsed on to the piano bench, her strong force field vanishing in a moment. She clutched her pounding head, touching her gash and matted hair gingerly as she began to curl up into a ball.

"Audrey!" Percy cried, scrambling over to the bench and sliding on his knees. She kept her head down as she began to sob, body limp as though all strength had been depleted. Percy knelt directly in front of her, the adrenaline and passion still pumping through his system. As delicately as he could he pushed back her blood soaked bangs and examined the deep gash on her forehead.

"_Episkey", _he muttered softly, running his returned wand over the long cut. Audrey winced as the cut laced itself back together, and shivered as the inevitable cold of the spell hit. Despite the relief of physical pain, Audrey continued to shake.

"Shh," he soothed, cupping her face from his continued kneeled stance. "He's gone. Everything is going to be…"

But Percy couldn't finish. Alright? Okay? That hardly seemed the right terminology to use against someone who had just been so badly battered. Rage and staunchness filled his body as his mind replayed the scene that had just taken place. He wanted to fight, to bring Max to justice. He felt far from the nurturing frame of mind he need to be in to play Healer or whisper terms of endearments to the woman who stared at him so shakily. He wanted revenge.

"I didn't invite him over," Audrey pleaded urgently. "He just came out of nowhere! He never responded to any of my letters, I just figured he accepted the split, but then he just barged in and started yelling." She let out another involuntary shudder.

Percy stood up impassively, his face stoic. He pulled his arms out of his sports coat and threw it around her shoulders in a fluid motion.

"But then you came," she stated in a quiet elation. "You came and saved me. Merlin only knows what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in."

"You should really get your face washed off," he replied quietly, looking down at the floor. He turned away and headed to the kitchen.

Percy didn't feel like he had saved anyone. In fact, he felt like he had made matters worse. Max had been angry during their row, sure, but he went into a blinding rage the moment he saw Percy. That's when he started attacking. Percy's normally active mind had gone blank and he had acted purely on instinctive impulse. In his own blind stupor, he had drawn his wand and threatened Max. With Audrey so close he should have talked him down. By being brazen he had put her in even more danger.

Dread filled his body as he turned on the sink faucet and wet a clean dish cloth. Because of brash action, Audrey had to take it upon herself to escape from Max's grip. Max was stronger than either of them, and he could have left her with more than just a cut on the forehead. Percy gripped the counter top hard.

"Here," he said curtly a few moments later, handing her the towel to wipe her face.

"Thank you," she replied, unsure of Percy's stance. She wiped the blood and make up from her cheeks, leaving behind black flaky residue, before pressing the towel firmly on the spot where her cut once lay.

"You're going to need to lock your doors, and place security enchantments around your flat," Percy told her firmly. "Don't let anyone in tonight, you understand?"

"Wh-what?" she stuttered, looking at him in disbelief. "Are you leaving? Why?"

"I'm going to contact Seeley," he said decisively. "This needs to be reported to the Enforcers. A madman just assaulted you and is now loose on the streets. This has to be documented and the proper procedures need to be carried out. I'll handle the report. I need to inform the Ministry that I assaulted someone in self-defense anyways."

"Is that… is that all really necessary?" she pleaded, standing up quickly. Though healed, the blow caused her to be a little dizzy, and she swayed back for a moment before bracing herself against the piano.

"Of course it's necessary. It wouldn't be protocol otherwise. If you place the proper enchantments on your flat like I said you'll have nothing to fear," he explained as he headed towards the front door. "You should really get to bed."

"But… but Percy!" she called, walking after him. She stopped chasing him when her heel landed on something soft. The large flower lay discarded on the floor, one of the petals singed from the fire, another crumpled under her step.

"Percy," she whispered sadly, gently cradling the withered lily.

"Someone from the Law Enforcement office will want to talk to you soon. I'll try and push it off until tomorrow so nobody disturbs you tonight. I'll send and owl checking up on you later. I'll have the letter charmed so it will come off on its own so you don't have to get too close to Hermes." Percy nodded his head in her direction, feeling as though he had gone over everything he needed, and quickly walked out the door.

His professional demeanor slipped the moment he stepped out in to the hallway.

Angry tears threatened to fog his glasses as he dragged his feet down the corridor. He felt positively lousy. He had put her through so much danger, and he couldn't even bring himself to look her in the face as he left. But he was determined to protect her. He would do everything in his power to ensure Max never harmed her again.

He realized how much his hand hurt as he grabbed the railing of the staircase. He felt a momentary shock of disbelief that he had so efficiently punched someone. At the time he felt it was what was right. He needed to hit him. It was a desire that had been building for ages and escalated as the scene turned wretched and his adrenaline flowed freely. But now as he thought about it, it had been a terribly daft thing for him to do. He was lucky to have gotten in that one shot, but he hadn't planned on what would happen after. He had dropped his wand en lieu of his fists, leaving him helpless after Max's quick recovery. He would have had no chance to defend himself, let alone protect anyone else, when Max came to and rounded on him. In all actuality it had been Audrey who had saved him. She had helped him out like she always did, especially in the situations where he let his underdeveloped emotional side push past his reason.

But now he was thinking clear. He would make sure she would be safe. He would do everything in his power to ensure that, no matter what he had to do. He would…

"_Coward!"_

An extremely familiar yet somehow foreign voice rang out into the empty stairwell. Percy spun around, caught off guard on the second story landing, looking for the invisible insulter.

"_Over here,"_ the haunting voice called. Percy looked straight in front of him, but the only thing he saw was his own reflection in the ancient gilded mirror that was tacked to the wall.

"_There we go, I knew you'd get the hang of it,"_ his reflection called back.

"This… this is impossible!" Percy said startled, an expression that did not flash across the indignant face of his mirror counterpart. "This is a Muggle building. No way a magic mirror gets hung up in a Muggle flat!"

"_But you're magic,"_ Mirror Percy taunted back. "_And thank heavens for that because it's the only thing saving your arse right now."_

Percy stared at the mirror, the magnitude of what was happening sinking in. This was the voice in his head. His voice, the one that insulted him into action or spoke out the hidden thoughts he tried not to touch. Somehow it had manifested itself into the Muggle mirror in front of him.

"_At least you're a clever coward. On some matters anyhow…"_ Mirror Percy trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Percy hissed. "I'm being very rational about the situation! I'm doing what's right!"

"_Since when did rationality dictate what's right?"_ his reflection demanded. "_You know what's right and running off the Ministry isn't it._"

"But… but it's my fault! I let my impulses override clear thought and that lead her to be endangered," Percy argued desperately.

"_Gee whiz, do I have to spell it out for you?"_ the mirror inquired. "_Life can't be lived off protocols and reason alone. At least not the life you __really__ want. But if you can't figure that out, then you don't deserve her anyhow."_

"What do you mean?" Percy demanded. But the mirror merely reflected the worried look that spread across his face. Percy stood staring at the wall, praying more answers would come. But then he realized he already had them. He already knew what he had to do, and he didn't need a suppressed projection of himself telling him.

He spun around on the spot, taking the stairs two at a time and running at top speed until he reached her door. He jerked it open, grateful that she had yet to take his advice on securing her flat.

Audrey still stood in the kitchen, heels abandoned, staring hopelessly at the abused flower. The blood had been cleared off her face and hair, but new faint lines of tears stained her cheeks. She gasped and flinched when she realized someone else had broken into her flat unannounced, and looked even more shocked when she saw who it was.

"Percy!" she exclaimed through a cracked and weary voice. She wiped at her red eyes quickly. "Did you forget something?"

Percy remained just outside the door for a moment, thinking over what he planned to do and say. An impulsive thought immediately shot through his mind, one which he decided to follow without any further recourse.

"You could say that," he stated coolly. And then he walked inside shutting the door behind him, took three long strides over to where she stood, grabbed her face, and kissed her. He kissed her with such blind and henceforth unknown passion that even he was taken aback. It took him a few seconds to even register that she was kissing him back with just as much force. Her hands crept up on to his shoulders to balance herself as she stood on her tiptoes to lessen the height difference. He couldn't help but smile at the adorable necessity and pulled back lightly so he could look at her.

"You have _no_ idea how long I've wanted to do that," he admitted through raspy breaths.

"Yes I do," she gasped, before propping herself up once more. Their lips crashed into each other desperately. Percy caught her lower lip, sucking and nipping it gently between deeper kisses. She moaned into his mouth, causing shivers to spill down his spine. He flitted his tongue into her mouth, allowing her to catch it and pull at it irresistibly with her own. He continued to bite softly at her lips when given the chance, and her hands snaked their way up into his hair, pulling at his locks in pleasure. His hands fell slowly down the curves of her body, feeling the heat radiate through the thin fabric of her dress, till they finally rested on her hips. He wanted, needed, to pull her closer to him so that no space was left between. He wanted to feel her stomach and chest against his as they snogged madly. But he had to hunch over slightly to kiss her like he did, and pulling her any closer would leave them in an awkward, and eventually uncomfortable, pose.

Ever the problem solver, Percy walked them deeper into the kitchen, leading her through with his hands still on her waist, never breaking contact with her lips, until she backed into her scrubbed kitchen table. Taking the queue, she hopped up, assisted by Percy's firm grip lifting her. She sat on the very edge and spread her legs so that he could stand between. She gasped as they were finally able to press against each other properly. Her nails trailed down his neck to his chest where they sprawled across, feeling the lean definition of his biceps through his dress shirt. Percy's left hand was contented to stay put half way up her rib cage, lying just below her breast; his thumb massaging circles against her side. His right hand slid down her side and waist, gently stroking the dress fabric that fell on her leg until it rested momentarily on her knee. Then, very slowly, it began to make its way back up, caressing the whole of her lower thigh before sliding under the hem of her skirt.

She gasped at this action and continued to deepen this kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as though she couldn't get enough. Percy let out a small groan of pleasure at the thought and gripped her tighter, his right hand all the while traveling further into her skirt until it finally hit her taut, bare stomach. She threw her head back in a moan as he settled his hand at the base of her leg, clutching it tightly while his thumb stroked the top of her knickers. He used this new position to place open mouth kisses along her neck, biting and swirling his tongue around her skin, lavishing in the taste. She snapped her head forward, resting it near his shoulder. She panted as he pushed her disheveled hair away, making his way up her jaws to her earlobe. He was merited another moan as he grazed it lightly.

"I was so afraid you weren't going to come back," she confided through a whispered groan. "I thought I might have lost you for good."

"I'm a bloody idiot," he confessed as he switched back over from her ear to her lips. She giggled into him as she cupped his face, pulling him in for a deep kiss. Percy used his leverage to grip her backside, pulling her even closer to his waist. Audrey wrapped her legs around him, the quick motion causing him to grind into her. The both gasped at the intimate contact.

"Percy," she moaned, placing little kisses all over his face as he leaned forward, breathing raggedly.

"Percy, I want… I need…"

Percy crushed his mouth on to hers, not needing any further invitation. He moved his other hand down to her bum, hoisting her into his body. She wrapped her legs and arms around him tightly as he carried her past her living room into her bedroom.

His feet hit a pile of clothes that lay on the floor and he spilled them on to her bed. He broke apart to kick off his shoes and socks before he was back on her once more.

His leverage against her was even better on the bed than on the table as he was able to displace his weight over her entire body. She bent one knee upwards as he settled on to her, occasionally rocking into each other. They kissed fiercely as she began to tug and fumble with the buttons on his white dress shirt. When she reached the end he tore the shirt off and threw it against the wall. He propped himself up on his arms to stare at her beautiful face and heaving body as she lay below him. Audrey ran her soft hands over his bare arms and torso almost shyly, running her fingers along the light definitions.

Percy straddled her waist, motioning her to sit back up. She did so and met him in a tender kiss, his hands cupping her face lightly. After a few moments he let his hands trail down and backwards, until they met at the tie of her dress that sat at the base of her neck. He paused for a moment, feeling the soft fabric of the ribbon between his fingers before pulling on it gently. The knot fell apart in his hands, leaving two loose strands to fall down between them.

After taking a raspy breath and kissing her briefly, he laid her back down. Still straddling her, he leaned over, taking the strands of Audrey's dress and began to pull it down. She wriggled as he traveled down with the fabric, focusing intently on how the pattern design began to bunch until finally it lay as a ring around her thighs. He pulled it off the rest of her body, stroking her smooth legs as he did so. He stared at her curled toes for a moment, using the time to take a deep breath. After a brief second, he pushed himself back to his propped position on top of her.

He was expecting her more intimate areas to still be covered with under garments, and was there for shocked when the only thing left on her was the small black triangle of her knickers. For a strange moment he found himself trying to remember whether the structure of the dress leant its own, built-in support, until he realized that the woman of his dreams lay nearly completely naked underneath him, waiting for his next move.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, shrinking vulnerably below. Percy snapped his attention back to her. He continued to stay propped above her, and took his time drinking in the sight of her soft, exposed curves. He couldn't help but grin stupidly.

"Everything's perfect," he said, before stroking her smiling face and settling back down for a hungry kiss.


	21. Rude Awakenings

_**(Quick A/N: This has nothing to do with this story, but I just wanted to shamelessly plug my Draco/Astoria story, "Dirty Little Secret". I have two chapters already posted. You should check it out if you like my stuff and want to read something a little darker than my past stories. I'd be very much obliged! Happy Hoildays!) **_

Rude Awakenings

The torches burst into flame as he ran through the hall, panting in unison with his loud, racing footsteps that echoed around the empty corridor. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins as he recognized with horror the place he was trapped in, yet he was powerless to stop the swift forward propulsion of his body. Just around the corner there would be the large corridor, walls cracked and stained with blood. Loud, deafening noises filled the air, a warning of the terror that lay just beyond the curve of the stone. He knew this place all too well. He knew in just a few steps he would turn the corner and see Fred's lifeless body mangled on the floor; that last ghostly grin etched across his face as the rest of his family mourned solemnly around him. He knew that the moment he saw all of them he would be over taken with the urge to join and weep with them. Yet they would all move away, turning their backs on him they way he had done countless times to them. No matter how fast he would run, nor how loud he would cry, they would not bend to him, and he would spend what seemed like an eternity chasing after a most needed image just out of his grasp.

The dread of this knowledge was just as painful as going through the actual motions, and he felt his heart shatter as the accursed turn drew ever nearer, a jagged stab of remorse engulfing him as he tried to ready himself to live out his nightly punishment.

Yet, just as he began to brace himself for the inevitable turn, he was hit, for the first time in this endeavor, with something new. A scent. Not the dank, dreadful scent of death and despair, but of something… lively. His nose was filled with the aroma of sweet summer berries, dusted with cinnamon. The smell was so overpowering it deprogrammed his perpetually forced drive to the hateful corridor and allowed him to stop. The scent centered his attention to a clean looking oak door he had never noticed before. The pleasurable fragrance was undoubtedly coming from the other side. Without hesitation, he moved towards the door, willfully passing the dark corridor without a glance as he decisively placed his hand on the door frame. It felt warm and welcoming, and the merest touch sent pangs of pleasure down the length of his body. Pushing aside any other thought but this, he leaned gently against the door, allowing the soft tender light to spill across him…

Percy's eyes fluttered open, and for the first time in what felt like ages, he awoke without a start. His reoccurring nightmare, one which normally left him lying drenched in sweat with a racing heart, had never ended like that. In the recesses of his mind he knew he had only been asleep for a few hours, yet he felt more rested than he had in… years. Though still contentedly groggy, he felt excited and prepared, ready to take on the day ahead of him. He smiled as he felt the soft, tender light from his dreams dance across his face, and he started to arch his muscles as he prepared to climb out of his worn bed.

Only, he suddenly realized, he wasn't in his bed. The light from the window of his flat never filtered across a purple sheeted mattress the way it did here. Certainly nothing in his apartment emanated the heavenly scent that captured his senses…

Percy slowly moved his hand and felt it cross against warm, smooth skin. His heart nearly burst with remembrance. Audrey's soft and bare body lay nestled into his. He could feel her regular breathing from the hand that lay on the supple curve of her hip. Her wild, rich brown curls tickled up against his chin as they spilled over on to his pillow. He was thrown fully awake as the blissful memories of the night before came rushing back.

It had been the most amazingly sensual experience of his life. Every inch of his body had reacted screamingly to her touches. Even such caresses to the most mundane areas of his frame: his sternum, the area between his shoulder blades, his knee caps, had sent him into a wild frenzy at the barest of strokes. But even that could hardly compare to the pleasure that filled him upon exploring her body. Her sinuous curves could drive him crazy clad and from a far, but he fell into a near delirium as he got to run his hands over them in his own slow pace, tracing her skin as she wriggled in excitement beneath him. He could easily feel her react to his touches, and the light gasps and moans she emitted when he discovered a hidden sensitive area sent him into over drive. He had probably dragged his tongue to her squirming delight across most of her body, and even now he could still taste her. The urge struck him to crash his lips into hers and replay their scenes from the night before. He wanted to dig his firm grip into her graceful hips, pounding in and out of her until she screamed his name in climax once again. He wanted all of that, and then to return her back to the crooks of his arms were she lay gently now.

A soft moan escaped her lips from somewhere in his arms, and he felt her bury her face deeper into his chest. He lightly dragged his fingers up and down her hips, feeling her soft spasms of pleasure as she reacted to the contact. He felt her place a small kiss on his sternum before shaking her head up to meet his gaze. He was greeted with perhaps the sweetest smile he had ever seen.

"Good morning, Boss," she said in sleepy coyness, her eyes shining. Percy couldn't help but grin stupidly upon the recognition that on top of everything else, he had managed to play out the classic male fantasy of sleeping with his secretary.

"Good morning yourself," he responded happily as he continued to stroke her side.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked in a hushed whisper as she slowly ran her hands up his warm chest. "I'm afraid my bed is a tad old."

"Oh I believe it is safe to say that I slept expertly," he assured, moving his fingers to her hair while cupping her cheek with his thumb.

"Wonderful," she smiled, before grabbing his own face and brining it closer to hers. Their lips met in gentle passion, kissing sleepily as they readjusted their bodies for better contact. As time went on, the kiss deepened, and Percy began to stir with longing as she pulled him ever closer. She let out a happy giggle as he rolled on top of her, never severing their connection as his hands began to trail down her body. As the excitement and anticipation for their second time together began to engulf them, Percy distantly thought about how they had yet to talk about the matter. However as he felt her hand trail down his side and began to wiggle through the space between their hips, he figured there would be plenty of time to talk later.

He moaned into her mouth, eagerly urging her to the intimate contact. She applied a spurt of pressure onto his lips before breaking free, trailing kisses down his neck, nipping him in hard affection before descending down ever further. A groan escaped his lips as he realized what she was about to do. With a gentle placement of her hand against his chest Audrey pushed him back onto the bed, taking her place on top of him before splashing kisses on his chest. He softly stroked her hair as he relinquished himself to her movements, running his free hand through his own tousled locks as he prepared himself for what was to come. The mere notion of it was enough to make him want to lose himself, and he breathed deeply to reach a center, planning on taking this venture through most of the morning. Spasms fluttered across his stomach as her kisses moved to his abdomen. He felt her hand run down the length of his thigh and creep slowly back up to his center. Percy closed his eyes and rubbed his right hand over his heated face, his heart racing wildly in stimulation and anticipation. He felt his mind topple into a state of pure bliss as she inched ever closer, when suddenly he was pulled away by a pretentious beep emulating from his wrist.

He pulled his hand angrily in front of him, ready to pull the watch off in flippant haste. It was then however that his brain focused in on the time, and his reason for setting the alarm in the first place came rushing back.

"Oh no!" he yelled hurriedly, sitting up quickly and pulling himself away from the comforts of the bed. He barely felt Audrey rolling off of him in disorientation as he moved quickly around the room, grabbing his trousers as he searched diligently for his shirt.

"The final presentation!" he moaned, nearly tripping over his shoes. "I'm going to be late! I still have to go home and get the rest of my files! I never went through a final run down! Dear Merlin I have so much to compile and then…"

Percy stopped himself as he looked at the blurred figure on the bed. Audrey was kneeling back on her haunches, a sad bewilderment splashed across her face as she wrapped her faded quilt around herself in overt self-awareness.

"And then dinner," he said firmly, sliding his arms through the sleeves of his shirt after belting up his slacks. Audrey's head perked up slightly at this statement. Percy abandoned his shoes and made his way over to her quickly, cursing his brash action shamefully as her doubting look came into clearer focus.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I'm just juggling so many balls at this particular moment I just got totally discombobulated." Percy paused gratefully as she laughed at his terminology. "I just have to get this work presentation out of the way, and then… then I want to focus on you… on us."

Audrey's smile grew at this admission. She scuttled forward to the end of the bed so she propped up right in front of him. Her arms snaked their way out between the folds of the quilt, pushing back the blanket on to her shoulders and showcasing her naked form. Percy couldn't help but stare happily as she ran her fingers up and down the open ends of his dress shirt.

"Do you think one can ever just be regularly combobulated?" she asked with a grin, her brown eyes shining in adoration.

"I know I'm as sure never am," he replied, sliding his hands across her full hips.

"And once, after the work day is done, you have me," she asked sultrily, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her naked body into his chest, "what do you plan on doing with me?"

Percy let out a quiet burst of a laugh as he pushed out the immediate thoughts that came to mind, ready to pursue his true goal.

"Well, we never did make it out to our date. I still owe you a nice dinner, coupled with some champagne," he said slowly, running his fingers up her smooth back. "I even had tickets to _Beauty and the Beast_..."

Audrey pulled away from him seriously, a look of shocked impression covering her playful face.

"Really? That's one of my favorite plays!" she exclaimed.

"They were for last night," he admitted painfully, watching the inklings of slight disappointment fall across her face. "But, then again, what the hell is the point of having magic if not to rectify such things?"

She grinned wildly at the suggestion of bending Muggle rules and pulled him in for another kiss. He immediately deepened it, his passion from earlier still not completely abated. He was instantly placed back into his former mindset, all other thoughts vanishing as he succumbed to the need to be with her. The quilt that lay draped across her shoulders slid off easily with a simple tug from him, leaving her completely exposed. His large hands began to roam eagerly across her, pressing her firmly against his own body to satisfy contact.

"Percy!" she gasped in a pant, breaking the connection as he continued his caresses.

"Yes, darling?" he asked off handedly as he took his kisses to the nape of her neck.

"Percy," she stated firmly again, though with a trace of a giggle. She cupped his face to bring his attention back to what she was saying. "Percy, you keep kissing me like this and I'm not going to let you go to work anytime soon."

"Oh!" he exclaimed, slapping his forehead with the force of reality. "Right, I need to go." He kissed her cheek firmly before spinning around back to his cluttered pile of clothing. He tripped clumsily over one of his loafers as he inexplicably felt around for his belongings.

"Percy, sweetie, your glasses," Audrey reminded with a laugh. Percy felt himself go red with embarrassment as he made his way back over.

"Right," he repeated, sliding them back onto his face. "Thank you, darling."

He watched her smile genuinely at the endearment, striking him painfully in the heart.

"I know this is rather silly of me, but I really don't want to go," he admitted, relinquishing himself back into her embrace.

"We'll see each other in less than an hour," she replied, laying her head back onto his chest. "You'll give a perfect presentation, they'll be left in no doubt how wonderful you are, and then we can come right back here to celebrate your promotion."

"You are far too good for my ego," he laughed, stroking her cheek.

"It's what I'm here for, Boss," Audrey stated, capturing his lower lip between hers and pulling on it gently. "Now get on out of here."

Percy placed one last kiss on her, grinning stupidly after pulling away. He made his way to the center of her room, gaining one last smile from her before he spun on his heel and Apparated home.

* * *

Though he landed solidly in his bedroom, Percy continued to spin in excitement, clutching his wrinkled shoes and clothing to his chest before falling on to his pristinely made bed.

He couldn't believe it. If somebody had told him six months ago that he were to fall for an extremely attractive, quirky girl with whom he would have a passionate affair with, he would have snorted in dry humor between shuffling through his paperwork without giving it a second thought. Things like this didn't happen to him. He was a prat. He had been told so his whole life. He expected the good breaks that would come in his life to be work achievements. But now, even with the daunting knowledge that the meeting today would change his entire life, he could hardly care.

His life had already changed that night, that week, that summer, and he couldn't think of anyway life could be better.

He popped off the bed, succumbing to the notion that he really did need to get ready and head for the office, and tried to function through his happy haze to at least dress properly.

Percy was in deep. He wanted nothing more than to be back with her at her flat, lying in her bed lazily. For the first time in his life he found the prospect of going to work almost irritating, despite the profoundness of the day. As he pulled on his best dress robes, the thought crossed his mind that this was probably how most people felt about work. Especially when they had something in their life that was more important to them than their job.

Percy smiled as he gathered the last of his files. It struck him that this was probably one of those romantic thoughts that he should share to her later. As of now, however, he really needed to clear his mind for work.

* * *

As was usual despite the atypical start of the morning, Percy arrived to the office early. He was too excited to eat any breakfast despite not eating since lunch the day before. Everything in his flat had been neatly organized the evening before so he simply had to grab the majorities of his files off his kitchen table before Flooing to the Ministry. The one thing he hadn't done was showered. He estimated that if he had he would have gotten to work about the same time as everyone else, but he found it important to be a step ahead on this particular morning. Besides, he could still smell Audrey's scent on him, and he was not willing to give that up just yet.

The Level Five corridor was abandoned upon his arrival, and as he stepped into the conference room he had to turn on the lights.

This is where it would happen. The final presentation. Grumman, Weiss, Valencia, possibly even Kingsley would sit in on the meeting, pouring over his work over the last quarter just before lunch time. They would spend the rest of the day conferring with one another, probably taking Friday and the weekend to decide who the new sub-department head would be. Percy took in a deep breath. He was strangely serene, a state he did not normally find himself in. Normally he was either pretentiously pompous or an unmitigated wreck. Yet today he felt simply confident. He knew he had done the job to the best of his abilities, touched upon every detail. There wasn't a single aspect of the Trading Standards Body he felt he didn't know. He was calm, collected, and ready to kick the competition's arse.

Upon speaking of the devil, Smith doth appeared. The door opened, Smith walking in jovially with his own box full of files. He whistled a somewhat familiar tune as he dropped his presentation material on his own table. Percy suddenly realized that despite all the work he had been doing, Percy hadn't seen Carmen since the Ball. Their department was rather small and that should have been somewhat of an oddity. But, then again, Percy had been pleasantly preoccupied with other things, and usually avoided the boisterous Hufflepuff if ever possible.

"Bonjour," Carmen greeted with a horribly botched accent. "ça va?"

"I'm fine," Percy replied, furrowing his eyebrows as Smith grinned happily.

"___Charmante!" Carmen exclaimed, leaning casually against the table._

_"__What the hell are you doing?" Percy asked, folding his arms in annoyance._

_"__Practicing my French," he replied smoothly. "I figure it will come in handy for when I get this job. Also, the ladies love it. It tends to set the mood."_

_"__You couldn't get a woman to sleep with you even if you __owned____ France," Percy retorted, straightening up his files stiffly. A sly grinned etched across Smith's face the moment Percy's back was turned. _

"Looks like you're not fairing too poorly in the thrusts of lust, are you Weasley?" Smith inquired as he sauntered casually over to Percy's side of the room.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Percy demanded, his heart missing a beat or two at the comment. Smith grinned as he flicked a spot in the base of Percy's neck.

"Either that's a hickey or that particular area is embarrassed to be a part of you. Not that I wouldn't blame it if it was."

Percy clenched his jaw in furry, ready to tell Smith to mind his own business. Yet, he couldn't help but clutch at the aforementioned area in a small panic, more than giving himself away.

"Come now Weasley, we're both young, healthy males. Even awkward gingers like yourself are bound to get laid. Now who was it? I've noticed the way the humpback at the cafeteria keeps eyeing you, and she always serves you extra gravy."

"My personal life is none of your concern," Percy spat, irritation flowing through his veins as Smith leaned next to him against the table.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Weasley," Carmen grinned. "I was just noting how this seems to have been a particularly sexually advantageous summer for the people in this office. Grumman is all but shacking up with the secretary, some girl finally took it upon herself to pop your cherry, our assistants seem to be hooking up, and you should just see the girl I've been fuc…"

"What!?!" Percy snapped, his hand slipping off the varnish table.

"That's right. Old Carmen has been quite active…"

"Not you, you tosser! What did you say about our assistants?" Percy demanded, his heart choking with the question.

"Oh yeah, Grant has been telling me all week about how that little minx who works for you has been trailing after him. Doesn't surprise me. After she got dumped by that Quidditch player she was bound to sniff _him_ out, what with his uncle being curator of the London Magical Museum of Art. Not exactly the best route to power, but probably the best in the vicinity," Carmen said casually. "The girl always has done quick work at finding someone to tap for resources by getting them to _tap_ her."

"Don't you dare talk about Audrey that way!' Percy snapped, his eyes fuming with malice.

"Calm down, you ogre. I'm just reiterating what everybody knows. She's been the same since school. She used Davies for popularity at Hogwarts. When he dumped her for the Veela, she immediately bounced to Warren Lancaster. Have you ever talked to that bloke? Bland as a flubberworm but with a Gringotts safe filled with Galleons. Or at least it did. Didn't you read the papers during the scandal? The girl stayed with him during the indictment and only left when they lost all their money. Then she gets herself hooked up with Tidwell… don't tell me you don't see the connection. The girl is a Galleon digger."

"You better shut it this moment, or else I'll… Audrey is the sweetest, most honorable…" Percy continued to sputter nonsensically, unable to form coherent thoughts as the rage engulfed him.

"Yeah, sweet and honorable," Smith scoffed. "I bet she fed you the same sob story about her family. How she's stuck looking after her poor orphaned siblings and her sick Muggle grandmother."

"I've met her family, you idiot slanderer," Percy rebuffed. "And I've seen her personnel files. All of it is true. She _does_ have to support them."

Percy felt more anger swell through his body the longer he talked to Smith. A small part of him pleaded to just walk away, ignoring what Smith said so casually about her. A larger part wanted to rip Smith's head off for the horrible conjecture he spewed, feeling it was his duty to defend her. Yet, another part of him, one which was shamefully dominant, wanted to hear what Smith had to say. Somehow he felt like Smith's flippant comments would support his feelings and ideas about Audrey. He felt so completely bewitched by her it scared him, and he wanted to know everything retaining to her with a morbid curiosity.

"I'm not saying the story isn't true," Smith stated offhandedly. "I'm just saying she's had to change her game because of it. Now she needs the money more than ever _and_ has all that extra baggage attached. Puts the girl into lowering her standards and sniffing out blokes like Grant. It's a wonder she got Tidwell for so long given her situation. She must be a really good shag to keep…"

"YOU SHUT IT RIGHT NOW!" Percy demanded, grabbing Smith by the robes and shaking him roughly. Smith cut off his words, fear flashing across his face as he saw the intensity in his assailant's eyes. But then the terror shifted into a look of realization, and was replaced with a smug smirk.

"Oh Weasley, you poor devil! It's you she's got to, isn't it?" Smith asked, laughing at Percy despite being at his mercy.

"You don't know what you are talking about," Percy replied through gritted teeth.

"Wow, you've got it bad, don't you?" Smith inquired solicitously. Percy responded by throwing his hands off Smith's robes in disgust, turning on the spot and heading across the room.

No. No it wasn't true. He was done with his doubts about her. He had finally found someone who made him happy. He had been self destructive too many times in the past and he had almost lost her because of it. For some unknown reason Audrey cared about him, and he should be more than content to thank his lucky stars that such an amazing woman wanted to be with him.

Or…or did she? Percy's mind began to buzz through their conversations over the last few weeks. They had breached the subject of feelings and a relationship several times. Yet, each time it was brought up by Percy. He had always told her his feelings, he had always been the one to express a desire for a relationship. She had always responded in a clever joke or physical manner. All of which had been more than acceptable forms of affirmation at the time. She had done countless gestures for him that _proved_ that she cared, yet he couldn't help but focus on the fact that she hadn't exactly said the words.

"She's really got you through a loop," Carmen noted, snapping Percy back into reality. Percy hardened his facial expression and shot Smith the dirtiest look he could muster. "Don't be too hard on yourself. She's bewitched way better men than you. Though what she seeks to gain from jumping your bones is beyond me, unless…"Carmen began to snort in laughter again. Percy didn't respond, hurt and anger already saturated throughout his body, and he no longer had the energy to act out in paroxysm.

"You never did find that Glaze stuff, did you?" Smith asked slyly. Percy's eyes darted upwards.

"Audrey wouldn't steal from me," he stated firmly. "Especially not something so dangerous and when it places me at such a risk."

"You mean you never interrogated her?" Smith inquired in bewilderment. "You've turned the bloody Ministry upside down looking for the Glaze, and you didn't search the starving manipulative artist who was at the scene of the crime? You're even thicker than I thought."

"Surely if she was under suspicion a higher up like Grumman would have talked to her," Percy stated rigidly, no further emotion slipping out.

"Grumman?" Smith scoffed. "You can't be serious. How do you think she got the job here? Grumman loves the girl for destroying his detested nephew and his family. You've seen how much he hates his ex-wife. Audrey was there the whole time they were going through their scandal, I wouldn't be surprised if she was privy to some information to blackmail the Lancasters. Grumman will even admit Audrey wasn't the most qualified hire but he picked her as a personal favor."

"That…that doesn't make any sense," Percy replied, but without much gusto.

Actually, Percy had to admit it was a fitting puzzle. He remembered how the Lancasters had all but cowered when Audrey had confronted them at the Ball. Joyce had yelled about how her protection would soon wear off and that then they'd be free to go after her. What had that meant? Percy still knew hardly anything about that particular relationship and it still baffled him that she had stayed with him as long as she had. Could she have just been waiting around for blackmail information or until their money ran out? In that matter, why on earth did she stay with Max for so long when she said she didn't love him? And Smith was right about her prequalification for the Ministry. Percy remembered the high marks required for an internship, grades she admitted she fell short on. She said the Ministry was desperate for employees but that was far too easy an answer. It was strange that she had managed to end up working for the spiteful uncle of an ex-lover.

As for the Glaze…He could hardly explain that one. Smith was the second person who had reasoned out that Audrey was the most likely culprit. It did make sense. She would get the most use out of it. In fact, she had already managed to get another job in the art world. A world that she had ostracized herself until the Glaze had gone missing…

Percy's heart plummeted into his stomach. It was all so clear to him now. She had used her charm and completely bewitched him, giving herself an all encompassing power to manipulate him. He thought of all the rules he had broken and the things he had done to help her on his own variation. Things he had never done for anyone before. Things he had never even _considered_ doing for someone, he did for her without a second thought. She had drawn him in close, gotten him to care so he wouldn't even entertain the thought of questioning her character when she got what she really wanted. She continued the charade until the end, wrapping up their relationship smoothly by sleeping with him at the end to tie it up, before disappearing off to another job, leaving him behind in her wake. It explained everything. Why else would such a woman want a boring, charmless, poor bloke like him except to get something out of him? He had been a fool to think otherwise. He had been dense to think that she would actually want to be with him, that she would ever… love him…marry him… have a family with him…

It took all of Percy's strength not to collapse right there in the conference room. He felt an immense grief hit him when he realized that he had finally found someone he wanted all of that with, just to learn it had all been a lie. He felt so insanely stupid for letting himself think that he somehow was merited that kind of happiness. His chest tightened up and tears welled in his eyes. This was a more realistic and hellish nightmare for him to live through than anything his subconscious could come up with.

Percy barely noticed movement from the front door as Weiss and Grumman filtered in, chatting happily with one another.

"Ah good, you both have already set up!" Grumman explained merrily, rubbing his hands together. "We have a few things to sort out first before we begin the final presentations. Mr. Smith you've been selected to go first. Mr. Weasley, we'll come get you out of your office when it is your turn."

Percy nodded his head in affirmation, barely noticing the other members of the Ministry who came through the door. Percy wandered out in a drunken haze, hardly unable to process what he was doing.

"Percy, are you okay, son?" Mr. Grumman asked under his breath, grabbing Percy's arm lightly and turning him away from the other evaluators.

"Ye-yeah," Percy muttered emotionlessly, looking forward distractedly.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Grumman asked again. "You look a little ill. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No…yes," Percy said suddenly. "Why did you hire Audrey when she wasn't properly qualified?"

Mr. Grumman's eyes widened in surprise, and he took a sheepish stance in front of his employee.

"Ah, well, I'm afraid I can't properly answer that," Grumman explained with a hint of shame. "Let's just say I more than owed it to her. Why do you ask?"

"Right," Percy replied stoically, gently prying his arm out of Grumman's hold. "I'll see you during my presentation."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Grumman inquired, taken aback. Percy stared at his boss with a hardened and strict expression.

"I will be."

Percy walked out of the room without a second glance and headed to his office. That confirmed it. Everything Smith had said about her was true. She manipulated everyone around her. Even Grumman was a victim of her power. Blinding anger replaced his engulfing sorrow with every step he took.

_How dare she._

_She wouldn't get away with this._

_I'm a fucking fool._

Percy ripped the door to his office open, ready to explode in blinding fury, when he noticed her standing in the room. His eyes snapped open, not prepared to see her so soon. She was sickeningly radiant in her professional robes. Her hair was pulled back gently, exposing the neck he had insatiably kissed just an hour ago. He was hit with her intoxicating scent as she released her powerfully beautiful smile on him and sauntered over to where he stood.

"Hey," she greeted happily, playing with her hair gently. "You left this folder over at my flat, you should look through it before you go." She held the folder in front of him playfully, her look warm and loving. She was good. No wonder he had fallen so hard for her.

"You've got some nerve," Percy stated icily, snatching the folder and tossing it on to the desk.

"What?" Audrey asked, still cheerfully though with an edge of confusion. "Sweetie, what's the matter?"

"Don't you 'Sweetie' me," he demanded, anguish and hatred coursing through his veins. "You're done doing this to me."

"Percy, what are you talking about?" Audrey asked, taking a step back as he towered over her.

"You know exactly what I am talking about!" he yelled, causing her to flinch. "You've been using and manipulating me all summer and it's over! I uncovered your little game."

"Game? Manipulating? What the hell are you saying?" she inquired, raising her own voice in fear.

"I'm saying you're done toying with me and ruining my life. I know you stole the Glaze and I know you're using your connections with Grumman to cover it up," Percy accused.

"Wait, you think _I _stole the Glaze?" Audrey asked, scandalized.

"Of course! And it was so smooth of you too! You got me so enamored with you I never even considered the fact that you could have done it. You certainly picked the right prat to steal from."

"Look, Percy," she stated calmly, though wavers of tears threatened to fall. "I know you're stressed out from everything, but I can assure you I didn't…"

"Use me like every other man you've gotten close to?" Percy finished rudely. A wave of anger crossed visibly over Audrey's face.

"Don't you talk to me like that!" Audrey ordered.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it Larrabee? Or just getting caught before you finished? I bet that's how you lost Roger to Fleur in school, he tired of your games…"

"Percy stop it," Audrey warned.

"And Max? You managed to milk out that lovely relationship as long as you could…"

"I mean it," Audrey threatened again, angry tears starting to pour down her face.

"Oh and poor Warren! He still wanted to marry you after you suckered and blackmailed him…"

"DON'T!" Audrey shouted viciously. "You have no idea what the hell you are talking about."

"And then you found me, and figured you could get a few things out of a strategically well placed, pathetic Ministry man. How could I be a match for a heartless professional slag who…"

Percy was silenced with a sharp slap across the face. Audrey stood brazenly in front of him, her eyes burning daggers. Percy rubbed the stinging area on his face gingerly, keeping it tilted away as he did.

"I…can't…_believe…you_!" Audrey stated through heaving breaths.

"Yeah, well I guess you never really can know a person," Percy replied emotionlessly.

"Well, at least you got one thing right out of all of this. You are pathetic," she spat. Percy's temper flared.

"That may be, but at least I don't go around using people who care about me until I've milked them dry, just to move on to another victim," he shot.

"No, you just abandon the people who care about you when it's not convenient to have them in your life anymore," she replied through harsh tears.

"Get out," he whispered coarsely.

"Gladly," she hissed in return. "And you won't have to worry about me "milking you" any further. I never want to see you again."

She darted past him quickly, slamming the door so hard behind her his painting fell off his wall. Percy walked calmly over to the object, watching the dotted clouds roll across the sunny sky. He left it face down on the floor before sitting back in his desk. He grabbed his last file, posing a quill over the cover to label it. Instead, he let the quill drop to the ground, before sobbing uncontrollably.


	22. Life, Love and Spoiled Veritaserum

Life, Love and Spoiled Veritaserum

If there was one good thing Percy had gotten out of abandoning his family, it was his inflexible ability to compartmentalize. He had stood up in front of the men and women of the Ministry and delivered his presentation without happenstance. He showcased the organization system he had worked on, explaining why the forms he created helped to streamline the bureaucratic process. He was able to answer every question flawlessly, and could instantly locate the information backing his quoted statistics. He had even managed to roll off a few of the jokes George had given to him for just this occasion, leaving his evaluators smiling long after delivering his one liners. It was straight, complete and to the point. When he was done they all shook hands with him, stating he had done a great job, Grumman winking at him as he did. It couldn't have gone better in Percy's most perfect dreams.

And yet, he was definitely in a nightmare.

He slammed his door when he returned to his office, tearing off his coat and throwing it against the wall. The hot, crushing anger from before the meeting instantly returned as he paced about. With nothing more to do for the competition by wait, Percy was left alone to brood in his own thoughts.

_How did this all happen?_ Three months ago he had wanted nothing more than this job. Three hours ago he had wanted nothing more than that girl. Now, Percy wanted nothing, nothing except to destroy everything in his life that made him think of her.

He laughed maliciously as he spun around in his office. _Everything_. Every bloody thing in the office reminded him of her. The stolen, over stuffed lobby chair she normally nestled into was pushed back from the desk slightly, looking like she had simply gotten up to go to the loo, rather than never return. His desk and papers were adorned with the rainbow post-it notes she had bought from a Muggle office supply store, adding both a touch of color and personal organization to his otherwise lifeless files. The carpet in front of his desk was still slightly stained from when she dropped her coffee on a particularly early morning. Even the room itself made him think of her. This is where they had gotten to know one another, where they had become friends, where he had fallen…fallen…

Fallen into a trap.

Percy slammed his fist hard on his unflinching desk. How could he have been so blind? All along he had known that this was too good to be true. Women like that didn't fall for blokes like him. At least not the type of woman Audrey had pretended to be. The charming, funny, caring, beautiful mess of a person Percy thought she was would never fall for a bland and uptight wanker like himself. He had told himself that for months, yet still he allowed himself to fall right into her trap. She had done a masterful job at being vulnerable, using the tragedy of her family and other personal ties to burrow her way into his sympathy. She had remained by his side ruthlessly through the competition, wedging herself into his personal life along the way in order to earn his trust and endearment. She had dug so thoroughly under his skin that she managed to elevate herself above suspicion in the case of the Glaze when normally she would be first in line for questioning. When Percy stopped to think about it, the whole thing was rather beautifully and neatly done. But then again she was an artist…

Percy slumped in defeat into his office chair. He had dealt with a lot of grief and loss over the last few years. While away from his family he would often tear himself awake to his own shouts, shaking while drenched in sweat, his heart racing in the aftermath of a blocked out nightmare. After the Battle things only got worse. He had to deal with accepting both the pain he had put himself and his family through, and the knowledge that he would never see his little brother again. He had felt sure that the pain he had endured during this period would be by far the worst he could ever experience. Surely nothing on this planet could even approach such suffering. Yet, as was the cosmos unyielding occupation, Percy was once again proven that he was far from always being right.

Though not quite the unequivocal anguish he had felt upon Fred's death and truly grasping the damage his selfish actions had inflicted upon his loved ones, Audrey's betrayal was none the less fully crippling. He felt as though his blood had turned to ice, freezing and weighing his body down, paralyzing any movement or thought beyond an endless bleakness. He felt a crushing weight against his chest making it a near impossibility to breathe. This was beyond any panic attack he had ever suffered through. It felt more like his body was trying to reject itself.

Upon the reflection of his worst mistakes, Percy couldn't help but continually coming across the most devastating of conclusions. Where as in the past he had gone against both his family and their teachings, shut down his feelings and wandered for years solely on a logical tangent of self-promotion, this time he felt like he had done everything right. He had gone with his heart. He had finally and truly realized what his parents, brothers and sister had always tried to tell him but he had never comprehended. True happiness didn't come through things, power, or even a job well done. It came through the people who met you at home, who celebrated your accomplishments, suffered through your defeats, and who made you smile on both occasions. You weren't supposed to be perfect, because it was your flaws, your idiosyncrasies, your mistakes that made you who you were, that made you love and be loved. It had been almost every single thing about Audrey that had made him fall for her. Her imperfections, her chips, her blots, were what made Audrey Audrey. And that's what killed him the most. He had finally found this true happiness, only for it to be a lie.

Percy threw his elbows on his desk, cradling his head in his hands as he prepared to sob. Hot tears threatened to fill his red shot eyes. He wanted to crawl under his desk and cry like a child, freely and without end. He crunched his red curls in his hands, ready to lose himself completely, when he was interrupted by a knock on his office door.

"Come in," he said instinctively, with a surprisingly clear and strong voice. He was able to shake what he hoped was all the emotion off his face before the door opened and the visitor brought themselves into the room.

"Weasley," Mr. Grumman greeted, his wand in one hand and a small file in the other.

"Yes, Mr. Grumman, what can I do for you?" Percy asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Relax, son, I'm here on a social visit, no need to be wound up." Grumman pulled out Audrey's stuffed chair and sat back casually, waving his wand across Percy's desk. A battered tea pot and two chipped cups appeared, along with a bowl of sugar and a small, clear vial with specks of gold floating in the liquid.

"In fact, I insist that you call me Spiro," Mr. Grumman demanded, pouring the steaming beverage into the two cups, pushing one over to his employee. Percy couldn't help but twinge in sadness, recalling how long it had been since he had had a proper cup of tea in his office, bringing to mind Audrey and her preference for coffee. He gulped down his drink quickly.

"Alright. What can I do for you, Spiro?" Percy asked, placing the cup back on the saucer. Spiro grinned at Percy's relentlessness, and filled his cup back up.

"I just came by to say how proud of you I am. You've gone through a remarkable transformation over the summer, you've really seem to come into your own. And while the others and I are still deliberating on the promotion, I thought a celebration of your own…ah… personal success is in order," Spiro stated with a grin. He picked up the small vial, emptying the contents equally into both teacups until only a base amount remained.

"What is that?" Percy asked, eyeing the vial in a mild curiosity. The clear and gold specked liquid and bottle seemed painfully familiar, yet all that he could bring to mind was Audrey and a puff of purple smoke.

"Goldschlager," Spiro said with an amused smile. "A fiery little Muggle drink. The head of the Italian Standards Body gave me a few vials of it for Christmas. I thought I had taken the last of it but I found this while I was going through some of the boxes in my office. It acts as a delicious little pick me up, calms the nerves, and goes great for celebrating."

"I don't feel much like celebrating," Percy muttered, picking up the vial and swirling the remaining contents around. Where had he seen this stuff before? "And I try not to drink during the day."

"Ah, come off it. Live a little, Weasley! It's not like one shot is going to knock you into a coma," Spiro urged. Percy was about to return another decline when he was struck with a full memory. He was back with Audrey in the storage compartments on that first day. They were digging through boxes, organizing illegal potions. He had handed Audrey the Sueño potion because she had thought it was pretty, while he tackled a small, clear vial with floating gold specks. A vial that definitely did not hold Muggle liquor.

"Spiro, wait!" Percy cried, trying to knock the teacup out of his boss' hand. But it was too late. Mr. Grumman had taken a deep gulp, downing his peppermint tea along with what, due to an emergency circumstance, Percy had neglected to label as spoiled Veritaserum. Percy froze, staring at his boss intently with wide eyes, waiting for the first sign of duress. Spiro paused after taking his drink, holding his breath. After a moment, he exhaled in satisfaction, smacking his lips happily as he placed his teacup down.

"Are you alright, Mr. Grumman?" Percy asked slowly, dread flooding through his veins after poisoning yet another of his coworkers. Spiro started to nod his head in earnest, but half way through he paused, and began to shake in the negative.

"No, no Percival I am not alright," he exclaimed wearily. He pulled up his chair as close to Percy as he could at a startling speed, grabbing both of Percy's hands with his own. Percy was shocked into momentary silence as Spiro stared at him with wide eyes.

"Why did you have to go and lose the Glaze?" Spiro asked in an almost pleading manner. "You would have been a right shoe in for the job if you hadn't! You have no idea how fond the rest of the department and I are of you! If it were strictly up to me I would have given you the job a month ago. But all those other Robes on the board, who don't even know you, may choose that detestable Smith! I despise that ruddy man. Despise!"

Grumman accented his point by spitting onto Percy's desk. Percy's face fell into that of utter shock, unsure of exactly what was happening or even how to respond.

"I…er… didn't mean to. Audrey and I…"

"Ah Audrey! Dear, sweet, beautiful Audrey!" Spiro sang, jumping up on to his chair and dancing to a whimsical unheard melody. "I do love that child so. And you!"

Spiro crouched back down to his feet, grabbing Percy's hands again, a look of pure joy and congratulation splashed across his face.

"The two of you are so wonderful together!" Spiro exclaimed.

"The two of us… you mean Audrey and me?" Percy sputtered, staring at his boss as Spiro rubbed his face into Percy's hands like a cat.

"Of course! It has been so obvious from the start! I thought you two might do well together. You seemed just like what the other needed. That's why I paired you up!" Spiro regaled happily.

"You…you arranged for her to be my assistant so we would…get together?" Percy asked in shock. Spiro nodded his head emphatically.

"Yes! Oh, I knew she could get you out of your shell! And you, you were just what she needed. Someone reliable and consistent; a man who throws himself fully into the things in his life, assuring she would be loved and protected," he explained gingerly, cupping Percy's face. The happy expression Spiro wore quickly morphed into one of sorrow and urgency.

"I had to do something," he whispered, holding Percy's head so he looked straight into his eyes. "It's all my fault! All of it! I ruined her life!" Tears started rolling down Grumman's face without restraint, and he threw himself back into the chair, wrapping his arms around his legs and rocking back and forth.

"What? What do you mean it's all your fault?" Percy asked. He knew Grumman was suffering from the wonky truth potion, and he desperately needed to go to St. Mungos, but that fact was placed on the back burner as Grumman wept uncontrollably over Audrey.

"I knew all along my ex-wife's brother Gatsby was a bad man. You should have seen the way he treated his employees, his wife, even Joyce. Why would his feeble son be any different?" Grumman asked. Percy shook his head, not knowing exactly what he was talking about but encouraging him further.

"Gatsby was a great deceiver. Even I, who always hated him, believed him innocent for a time, too long a time. It was Audrey who had stumbled across the files, showing how he was stealing and ruining his employee's savings. She… she confronted Warren about it, believing he too was in the dark. He told her they would go to the Ministry together, to me, and would set things right. Instead, he took her to his father, where he…he… and Warren did _nothing_ to stop him…"

Percy sat rigidly still, dozens of scenarios of what may have happened flying through his head, each one of them making him both murderously angry and inconsolably heartbroken.

"She came to me as soon as she could. I was an Enforcer back then, and we had met several times at family functions and gotten along well. She told me what she had found…what they had done…" Spiro trailed off at this point again, taking in another ragged breath. "I tried to comfort her by telling her we had the bastards now. I was going through my divorce at the time and wanted nothing more than to annihilate that whole family. I figured she would want to as well, that together we could have justice!"

Spiro pumped his fist into the air in a victorious gesture, but slowly lowered it sadly.

"But she wanted no part in it," Spiro said, staring at his hand.

"What? Why?" Percy asked, with Spiro on taking these people down.

"She said because the way I said it, it sounded more like revenge than justice," he stated. "Which she was right. I wanted to build up a giant case against them, drain them for everything they had, punish them for more than what they were on trial for. I wanted to use Audrey as further evidence for their wickedness. But Audrey refused to press charges."

"Why?" Percy inquired quietly. Grumman shrugged.

"She said she was too weak. That despite what had happened, what he did and didn't do, she still loved Warren and wanted him to have a second chance at life, even though it would be one without her. She told me where I could get to the files, I was able to get a warrant, and properly indict them for their white robe crime."

"What about…what about their other crime," Percy asked through gritted teeth, his heart flaring. "What about what they did to Audrey?" Grumman smiled wearily.

"Audrey wrote the family a good-bye letter. She told them that she wouldn't press charges, as long as she never heard of them harming anyone again, either financially or physically. She meant for it to be a lesson, but they see it as blackmail. They're in such a precarious place that her taking them to court would ruin them. It's probably one of the reasons their company is legitimate now. However, there are statutes of limitations on these things, and soon they'll have no reason to fear her or any kind of retribution."

Percy sat back, soaking the information in. That's why they had feared her at the Ball. Why they left. Why her and Grumman were close. And why she had stayed with Warren for so long but never talked about him. She loved him, but he had spat in the face of that love for money and power. Percy felt a sickening roll of doubt encompass him as the dizzying revelations began to sink in. But it still didn't explain everything…

"But you said you ruined her life," Percy drawled out slowly, testing the effects of the spoiled truth potion. "It seemed like the Lancasters were the ones who…affronted her. Why would you think you harmed her?"

The pained look that immediately crossed Spiro's face made Percy regret asking the question. Spiro scuttled in closely, whispering so softly Percy had to lean right next to his mouth to hear.

"I tried to save her," Grumman whispered pathetically. "Save all of them. When the Ministry got taken over, it was all I could do to protect _anyone_, but Muggleborns? It was impossible."

Percy's head perked up, an inkling of Spiro's future confession reeling through his brain.

"I tried to save Lucia. I took on the family's case, tried to hide them from the system, push back the trial date, but I was just one man!" he pleaded. "I should have fought harder. Maybe if I had… but it was all so dangerous…"

"I'm sure you did all you could," Percy comforted stiffly, remembering all too well how hard it was to do anything in that corrupted government. "You couldn't save anyone if you got yourself killed."

"I tried to help Chris with his paternity files. I went through nights on end digging for proof. Those kids had already suffered so much, and I had already failed to protect Audrey once before. I wasn't going to let it happen again!" he pounded on the desk with a closed fist, reiterating his point before continuing.

"I warned Christopher as soon as I heard that they were going to haul them off to Azkaban after the appeal. I told him to run, and that I'd find some way to protect the little ones. I don't know what I had planned to do…I had been so useless that far…" Grumman paused in grief reflection.

"I had so hoped that they would have gotten away. He was right to try and charm the house rather than to run. No one escaped the Death Eaters or Snatchers for long. I rushed to the scene and took control before any of Voldermort's people could…" Spiro stopped his dialogue to grab Percy by the robes, shaking him as he pleaded.

"You have to believe me! I did everything I could. We knew she was in the house, and we had to find her before she starved to death! We tried everything to get Christopher to wake up, but his injuries were too great. I…I made the decision to search his memory. I cast the charm myself. I really don't think I could have been more careful, but still, I effectively killed the man…"

"No," Percy said quickly. "No, you saved her. She would have died if you hadn't done what you had done. You saved the family by finding the files at St. Mungos."

"It didn't have to be like that," Spiro insisted, hanging his head. "They're all such good people. None of them deserved what happened. I ruined those children's lives."

Percy sat back and watched Spiro grieve, his own tears threatening to fall. He was struck with the desire to flee to Audrey's flat and wrap his arms around her after being retold her horrific story. But then… he seemed to have only made things worse for her…

"I told her to place a lawsuit against me," Spiro said, drawing Percy away from his own thoughts. "She would have been quite with in her rights to. The family had no money, and I had all but destroyed her father, she could and should have taken everything from me." A smile slowly spread across his face.

"She laughed at me when I told her that. Said that I had given her more than I could ever know, and kissed me, right here." Grumman rubbed his flushed cheek gingerly. "She came back to my office a few months later. I figured she had come to reconsider. Whatever sparse money they had must have run out by then. Surely she had come to get what she could. But do you know what she asked for?"

"What?" Percy indulged, a smile and a tear crawling across his face as he already knew the answer.

"A job. A simple job as a clerk with the same salary as every other. She knew she wasn't technically qualified and offered to retake her tests. I hired her on the spot. How could I not?" Grumman let out a hearty laugh, rolling back into his chair.

"She is such a remarkable woman," Grumman exhaled happily. "Take care of her, Weasley."

Percy's head popped up and stared at his boss, not knowing what to say.

"What makes you think…" Percy started feebly.

"I don't think you meant to turn this folder in," Grumman stated with a smile. He pointed to the thin file he had carried in with him, pushing it forward for Percy to open. Percy stared at it for a moment before he recognized it as the folder Audrey had turned into him at the beginning of the day. The one he had simply tossed on to the pile with all the others without a glance. He stared at it intently before opening it slowly.

It was another quick sketch of himself, like the one she had drawn in jest the first week they had worked together. Only this time his head was in proportion, and his characteristics were drawn much softer, giving him a charming if not handsome face. He stood at a slightly turned angle, smiling warmly as he juggled six spheres, each labeled with separate syllables of a word. After a quick round Percy realized they spelled out DIS-COM-BOB-U-LAT-ED. After a few rounds a drawn version of Audrey came into the frame, carrying what looked like a burlap sack with its own message of "In the Bag". She opened the ends to allow him to neatly toss his objects in order, laughing his he did a cocky spin upon releasing the penultimate syllable. When his trick was completed the cartoon Audrey flung her arms recklessly around Percy neck, laying tight kiss on his cheek. The animation ended on Percy releasing a happy smile, while the back of his neck shaded in a flush, before the scene repeated itself.

Percy gripped the parchment tightly, tears filling his eyes as Audrey reappeared into the scene.

"It is so rare to find someone who makes you truly happy. When you find such a person, you never let her go, do you understand me? Never…never…In fact!" Grumman shot out of his chair, spinning around merrily and sauntering towards the door. "I believe it is time I take some of my own advice! There is a woman out there with whom I have been madly in love with for over a decade, and it is high time I beg her to be my wife and marry her before she realizes how big of a prat I really am."

Spiro shot out the door, heading determinedly towards the main office and Valencia's desk. It occurred to Percy that he should stop his poisoned boss before he really got himself into trouble, but couldn't bring himself to get out of his chair. Grumman's words and Audrey's discarded encouragement cut through him like a hex. This all sounded like his Audrey. The woman who loved, and fought, and was set on things being right, even if it meant life was a bit harder because of it. Like Grumman, Percy had fallen prey to the certain kinds of people who worked in the Ministry. Those who did for themselves instead of others. People like Cordelia and Gatsby, who would stab you in the back before you even turned around. It got you worked up to protect yourself, it blinded you to people actually being genuine. Believing everyone was scum resulted in a self fulfilling prophecy, as no one reacted to goodness. It was quite frankly easier to believe someone was out to get you rather then actually care about you.

"What have I done?" Percy whispered, the tears finally falling down his face. Had he really just alienated the woman of his dreams all on his own built up accusations? Did he just ruin the best thing that had ever happened to him because he was too thick to believe someone could actually care for him? The weight on his chest crushed further, slipping into his stomach with gut-wrenching doubt. He slid off his chair, falling to his knees.

The accusations which seemed so firm this morning were now so baseless and hallow. There were things she never told him, but they were hers not to tell. He knew deep in his heart that Audrey wasn't manipulative or a schemer. She was…Audrey. Everything wonderful in his day came because of her. Her touches caused his heart to leap, her smiles melted him, her words were always a comfort. And she made him unprecedentedly happy.

"That's all that matters," he moaned, shaking through his sobs. "That's all I ever wanted."

He laid himself on the ground, squeezing his eyes shut tight. This is what he really deserved, wasn't it? He had tasted bliss and spat it out. He really didn't deserve her. He felt his heart start to crack into a thousand pieces.

But he wanted her. More than he ever thought he could ever want something. Even if any of his accusations from earlier were true, he didn't care. He wanted to crawl to her flat on his hands and knees, admit that he was wrong and beg her forgiveness. If he had just expressed his fears to her earlier, just talked to her, he could probably be entangled in her bed with her, telling her just how he felt and never wanting to let her go. He had always been able to tell her everything else in his mind, why not this?

Yet, something held him back. He didn't know if it was fear, pride, uncertainty, all three or something else entirely. He couldn't bring himself to get up. His heart pounded rapidly, as though trying to push him off the floor. But still Percy did not budge. All he could manage to do was push the large, feathered quill he had dropped that morning away from his face and shove it under his desk.

CLINK!

Percy's head shot up at the sound of a sharpened quill banging against glass. He froze, not daring to think what he felt certain was the truth. Slowly he pulled out his wand, shuffling closer to his desk.

"_Lumos," _he whispered, pointing the beam of light under the crevasse of his old wooden desk. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Percy espied a thick vial that looked like a metallic milk jug, jammed securely against the busted leg of his desk, causing the once wobbly table to stand securely still as its reinforced weight acted as a post.

Percy's memory shot back to that day. Audrey had dropped three bottles of Glaze on the table, all of which rolled his direction. He had kept his eyes on her and her alluring outfit, picking up only two and dumping them in the box without looking. He had charmed the boxes to float in front of him while taking them to storage, never physically feeling the box was already significantly lighter before the run in with Seeley and Fletcher. No one had stolen the Glaze. It had been under his desk the whole time, a product of his own distraction and inability to simply act upon what he felt. He dislodged the bottle, holding the heavy object in his hand.

"What have I done?" he repeated gravely, his insides all but collapsing. Without another thought he sprung to his feet, dashing out of his office with the Glaze in hand.

He stumbled breathlessly into the corridor, running as fast as his feet could carry him in an unplanned direction. He had to tell _someone_ about this immediately. His first instinct was to go to Audrey. The thought was driven, not in a need to apologize, but by the second hand nature that had been imprinted upon him that summer to tell her everything of big and little importance. This was quickly replaced however with the recollection that he had slandered everything she had ever done for him under the pretense that she had wanted to steal the Glaze to further her own needs. Percy stopped in an empty intersection of the hall to stare at the heavy and damaging bottle he held in his hand.

How could he have ever said those things? How could he have even thought them? Audrey would never steal from him, especially something so dangerous. Even if she were out to make money off of the Glaze, she was certainly smart enough to know she would have gotten caught. People were bound to notice if art viewers remained in front of her canvasses, admiring her work rigidly until they perished. As he turned the vial over in his hands, pausing to watch the colors shimmy into each other, he felt a curious pique of questioning infiltrate his inclusive despair.

Why had he led himself to think that way?

"Oh Carmen," a light, fluttery, yet still ear-piercing voice laughed from a vacant office room. "You certainly do have a rather _apt tongue_ when it comes to French."

"I would hope that's not the only thing my tongue is good for, my _chéri_," another all too familiar voice replied, expanding clumsily on an already extremely blatant innuendo. Percy turned around to face the voices just in time to see Smith stumble out of his office, entangled in the sharply angled arms of an impossibly thin woman with pin straight blonde hair. He stood stoically as he watched the two snog viciously, pulling away with gasping breath. The couple made a big deal of pulling apart and staring at Percy as though they had just only noticed him.

"Well, well," Cordelia drawled, flicking her eyes over his slumped frame and ashen face. "Look what the kneazle dragged in. Trouble in the artist paradise?"

"You were so right, babe. You should have seen how easily he folded when I delivered those lines you gave me," Carmen stated ecstatically, wrapping her up from behind and nibbling roughly on her ear. A flash of impatience and bother crossed her face, though she quickly straightened it back into a twist of doughy affection.

"_Of course,"_ Percy thought to himself simply, too drained of emotion to even be surprised. "_Touché, Cordelia, touché." _

"Isn't my Carmen the most marvelous of actors? I doubt more damage could have been done if I had said the words myself. It was such a beautiful sight to see that joke of yours dash away from your office, covered in tears. I insisted we shag after," Cordelia stated in mock affection, stroking Carmen's face lightly.

"Not really a day to be you, huh Weasley?" Smith sneered happily. "Losing both your dream job and the girl who got away to the same man?"

"I can assure you, I couldn't be far _enough_ away from her," Percy stated simply, staring passively at Cordelia's haughty face. "But congratulations. I can't think of two people who deserve each other more."

And with that he turned around, walking determinedly away from the scene, knowing exactly where he needed to go next.

_**To be continued with the most speedy of intentions. **_


	23. Percy, Start the Revolution

Percy, Start the Revolution

(Lyrics taken from Anberlin's _Audrey, Start the Revolution_)

_Maybe tonight we'll get back together  
Sound the alarms and break all the levers  
These streets are ours  
Our anthem rings  
You'd know the truth  
if these walls could sing  
Amateur youth sling down the signs  
Gather the masses, friends of mine  
I've got your back if you got my hand  
This isn't over, it just began_

_If this isn't love (If this isn't love)  
This is the closest I've ever been  
Do you think we have a chance tonight?  
As streetlights sing on Audrey's song_

The corridor reverberated with the echo of his footsteps as Percy ran through its twisted length. It had taken all but eight seconds for him to walk calmly away from his revealing encounter with Carmen and Cordelia before he broke out into a crazed sprint. He cursed himself, having once again fallen easy prey to Cordelia's mind games. The hatred and jealousy she harbored towards he and Audrey, coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of Percy's insecurities and a willing accomplice, had equipped her to pull off a truly beautiful and completely diabolical scheme. It honestly couldn't have gone off any smoother had she implemented all the pieces herself. Despite all the change he felt he had gone through over the past year, Cordelia was still able to shape and direct him with an invisible hand.

But his problems could not be so easily pinned on Cordelia. It was _his_ perpetual failure to overcome his weaknesses and how quickly he dashed to see the worst in people (including himself) when under duress that put him in the heartbreaking situation he was in now. He always let his rushed assumptions and negative conclusions get the best of him. Apparently the suffering he had put himself and his family through wasn't enough to get him over this shortcoming. And now he may have forever lost the greatest friend he had ever had because of it.

He knew he had to do something, but what that was he hadn't the foggiest. He desperately wanted to go to Audrey's flat and grovel for her forgiveness on his hands and knees like his feet had been hexed off. He wanted to make amends more than anything. But he didn't even know what to begin to say to her. There were so many things he had accused her of, so many things he had done wrong. She had given him no reason not to trust her and he had given her a million to hate him. He wasn't even sure if he was worthy enough to show his wretched face to her again.

He was at an utter loss of what to do, and had absolutely no confidence in himself to make a decision without consult. So, without thought, he let his feet carry him to the office of the wisest man he knew.

"Dad!" Percy exclaimed frantically, throwing open his office door with unchecked haste. Arthur Weasley sat eased back in his desk chair, looking happy as he and his seated colleague shared a joke. Upon seeing the urgency on his son's face however, Arthur's look wavered into instant concern.

"Percy, son, what is it?" he asked, taking to his feet quickly.

"I…!" Percy's desperate need to talk to his father was cut off upon recognizing his visitor. Minster Shacklebolt turned about in his chair to espy the origin of disruption. Percy felt himself freeze up immediately.

"I…I can come back later," Percy muttered sloppily, twisting back to the corridor in a flush.

"No!" Shacklebolt insisted quickly, jumping out of his seat. "I was just leaving, wasn't I Arthur? I was just regaling your father about your excellent presentation this morning."

Kingsley flashed the Weasleys a regal smile before heading quickly out the door. Percy felt a slight stab of shame at having acted so foolishly in front of the minister after apparently making a positive impression upon him only an hour earlier. Yet mostly he was just grateful that he had departed so quickly and without question, leaving Percy alone with the person he wanted to talk to the most in the world, second only to one.

"What's wrong? Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Arthur fired off quickly, having only seen Percy looking so explosively bewildered once before.

"No…I…Oh, Dad, I've made a terrible mistake!" he cried, all but collapsing into Kingsley's discarded chair. "I am afraid I may have ruined my life irreparably." Percy couldn't bear to look his father in the eyes, and instead mindlessly twirled the heavy vial in his hands.

"Is that the Glaze? You found it?" Arthur asked in momentary impression before hesitating. "And yet, that doesn't seem to have made you very happy. Ah, yes." Mr. Weasley took to his seat in response to Percy's noncommittal grunts. Inexplicably, a sad but warm smile crossed the father's face as he stared at his crestfallen child.

"Why do I have a feeling this surprise visit has very little to do with work," he asked kindly, prodding his son into action. Percy nodded his head, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose before catching his father's gaze. Even to his dad, Percy still couldn't even begin to explain himself.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, son?" his father suggested, reading the expressive silence accurately. Percy drew in a ragged breath and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I slept with Audrey last night," he said without filter. Percy stared hard at his father's desk, daring only once to flicker his gaze up to his father's expression. The room was deafly quiet for a few eternal moments.

"Did you use protection?" Arthur finally asked. Percy choked out an unbelieving laugh, burying his head desperately into his hands as his father completely skimmed over the point.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said with an apologetic grin, "but as your father it is my duty to ask. We Weasley's do have a certain…ah…_reputation_."

"Yes," Percy replied, still grinning slight in spite of himself. "We were safe."

"Okay," Arthur replied. "Second question then, was it good?"

Percy's head shot out of his hands in absolute shock, causing his father to laugh.

"I didn't mean graphically. I meant was it a good thing?" Percy paused for a few moments to reflect on the question.

"It was a bloody brilliant thing. It was unequivocally the greatest night of my life, despite the fact I nearly broke my hand punching her ex-boyfriend in the nose," Percy responded.

"You threw a punch?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you disappointed?" Percy inquired.

"Thoroughly impressed, actually," Mr. Weasley responded with another grin. "But, perhaps it is best that you started even further back and explain to me the problem."

Without further pause the words began to flow out of Percy's mouth. Arthur sat in silence as he listened his son bore his soul. He smiled as Percy explained to him his weeks of discovering and struggling with his feelings for his assistant, taking in the added complications of his doubts, Audrey's secrets and Cordelia's malice. He couldn't help but beam slightly upon hearing that his son had finally had the courage to ask the girl he so clearly fancied out on a date after taking such thorough care of her family. He felt proud when Percy told of how he had fought for her and how he seemed to push past his disabling second thoughts and returned to her for the night.

However, his face began to harden as he learned of how Percy easily slipped back into over thinking upon the mere suggestion of a rival's ploy. He sighed in sadness as Percy desperately tried to explain the hurt and anger he had felt after he convinced himself Audrey had only been using him. His heart dropped at the pained expression on his son's face as he shamefully repeated his hurtful accusations. And then his mind began to race as Percy explained the revelations that had come out since then, organizing the advice that was so desperately pleaded for.

"So you see," Percy concluded through a cracked voice, trying with all of his might to keep from breaking down. "I've done a remarkably efficient job of ruining the whole thing, and I'm… at an utter loss of what to do."

Arthur remained quiet for a moment, soaking in his son's situation and formulating the best way to give advice to this particular child. Having been a father of seven for nearly two decades had taught Arthur that delivery was just as important as the wisdom imparted. Each of his children required a different presentation of the same advice he gave to all of them.

"Well, son, it seems to me like you have two options," Arthur stated solidly, knowing the best way to get to him was to lay out clear choices of direction. Percy raised his face to stare at his father, slightly stunned to hear that such an unmitigated mess could possibly be reduced to singular paths. "You can either comb over your mistakes, cut your losses, spend the rest of your life damning yourself for the blunders and pining for the one you let slip away. Or, you can work to win her back, try to explain, and put yourself at her complete mercy. It's as simple as that."

"I don't even think I deserve a chance at explanation," Percy muttered miserably, staring at his feet. Mr. Weasley took a hard look at his son before choosing his next words.

"Are you in love with her?" he asked. Percy slowly rose up his head.

"What?" Percy inquired softly.

"Are you in love with her?" Mr. Weasley repeated. Percy took in a deep breath, fighting a literal physical pain as he struggled for his voice.

"Yes," he whispered; his body crushing as he admitted it aloud for the first time. "I love her so much I can hardly bear it."

"Then it looks like you really only have one option," Arthur suggested with a smile. Percy gasped for his breath as he held back his tears.

"How could I have done this to her?" Percy asked pitifully, covering his mouth with his hand as a silent tear streamed down his face. Arthur walked around the desk and placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder, reassuring him as he struggled.

"Go to her, Percy. You need to," Arthur prescribed.

"What's the use? She'll never forgive me, why should she?" Percy demanded, almost angrily. "How could she possibly look past the things I've done? And even if she could, why would she love the pathetic fool that stands underneath them?"

"Because, my son," Arthur said firmly, "you are a Weasley."

"Oh, what has that got to do with anything?" Percy spat.

"It has everything to do with it!" Arthur explained happily. "Look at your mother and I. She came from a well off family. She could have married another wealthy man, and believe me she had some pretty impressive suitors, and she would have never have had to harbor a financial worry. Instead, she fell in love and agreed to marry me; a Muggle obsessed, awkward, lost, poor as dirt individual with nothing substantial to offer but the gesture that I would always be there for her. To this day she insists she never for a moment regretted her decision."

"That's different, you and Mum were made for each other," Percy argued in the flippant way children with happily married parents write off the true significance of the relationship. "Besides, you never demeaned Mum the way I did Audrey."

"Trust me son, I have made my fair share of mistakes concerning your mother," Arthur ensured, shaking his head knowingly. "But if that's not enough for you, how about Bill and Fleur? She literally could have had any man she wanted, and she chose Bill even after the accident."

"I have nowhere near the charm and charisma Bill has. If anything else his scars and the fact that he eats rare meat just made him _cooler_," Percy grumbled. Arthur shook his head as his son continued to miss the point.

"Your brother Ron managed to finally get with Hermione, the smartest, bravest, and arguably prettiest witch of her age, and that was after years of being a completely oblivious prat, being intentionally thick on countless occasions, and taking a … hiatus… from the horcrux search," Arthur pointed out.

"Yes, but…"

"Ginny has Harry Potter, champion of the Wizarding world, wrapped around her little finger. A father couldn't ask for a more deserving partner for his only daughter…"

"_I know,_ but…"

"Charlie is dating the top Dragon Healer on the continent..."

"Charlie…"

"And I have every confidence that as soon as George finally settles back on to his feet he'll snatch up that beautiful Angelina Johnson."

"But I'm not like them!" Percy shouted, standing on his feet in overt frustration.

"You're not a Weasley?" Arthur asked in amusement.

"No! I mean, yes of course I am, but…"

"Percival, trust me, there is some kind of indescribable, humble charm that comes within this family. I know you fancy yourself a kind of 'black sheep', but I can assure you your hair is as red as the rest of us." His father emphasized his point by tussling his locks.

"I don't know, Dad," Percy started.

"You are so smart, Percy. And on top of that it seems like you have gotten to be so insightful when it comes to what she needs and wants. You're stable, hard working and protective when you need to be. And, in the last year you have unwound a lot, become much more flexible, and contrary to popular opinion you have sprouted a fairly impressive sense of humor," his father stated, patting his shoulder affectionately. "You love her, and it is very obvious she cares deeply for you. The whole Ministry thinks so."

Percy was taken aback, both by his father's kind words and with the knowledge that rumors went around about he and Audrey. Arthur chuckled at his son's dismay.

"I don't even know what to begin to say to her," Percy admitted quietly, returning his gaze back to his boots.

"It'll come to you," Arthur assured. "When it comes down to fighting for the woman you love, your heart will find the words." Percy nodded, uncertain if this romantic notion would ring true to him, but he accepted it in hopeful earnest.

"I'm afraid," Percy admitted weakly. "I'm terrified to go to her, say all the things I feel, and be completely rejected. I don't know if I could live after."

"Could you live with yourself if you didn't try at all?" Arthur asked. Percy let out another wrung laugh.

"I suppose you have me there," Percy expressed. He rubbed his face hard with his hands before standing up. He placed the bottle of Glaze on his father's desk, knowing without having to ask that he would turn it in for him. He cleared his robes and tried to smooth down his disheveled hair.

"How do I look?" Percy inquired after straightening himself out.

"Like a man hopelessly and desperately in love," Mr. Weasley replied. "Which is exactly the way you should look." Percy smiled sadly.

"Wish me luck?" Percy suggested with a tried grin. Mr. Weasley took a step forward and embraced his son into a hug. Percy couldn't help but revert back into the small child he once was, when such a warm, rocking hold was all that was needed to make his problems vanish. He leaned into it fully, holding on tightly for a moment before pulling away.

"Confidence, my son, confidence. There is so much more to you than the things you don't like about yourself. You're far too tall to keep selling yourself so short."

"Thanks, Dad," Percy said warmly, before taking a deep breath. "Now excuse me. I have to go make a complete and shameless fool out of myself."

"That's the ticket," his father urged, smiling as he watched his son turn out of his office. He stood in the middle of the otherwise empty room for awhile, releasing a little prayer out in to the universe. He hoped his son would find the words and the courage, and that Audrey would accept him. Percy had come so far, was so close to being the man Arthur always knew he could be. If she didn't, he foresaw dire consequences for his son.

* * *

_Remind your parents we're tomorrow  
Lead with morals and we'll follow  
When they wake up they'll see  
that youth fades  
and glory days deceive_

_What are you waiting for? Let's move on this  
Time is of essence, like your kiss  
So say you're in with cards down  
And guns drawn, this is it_

_If this isn't love (If this isn't love)  
This is the closest I've ever been.  
Do you think we have a chance tonight?  
As streetlights sing on Audrey's song._

* * *

Percy stood on the pavement outside of Audrey's old yet clean scrubbed apartment building. He knew he should have been spending this time preparing exactly what he wanted to say to her, yet all he could do was think about all the memories he had of this place. He remembered his first real visit to her flat, bringing him a delighted sadness at recalling his first impressions of her personal life. She had revealed to him then the first tidbits of her tragic family history, all the while giving him confidence in his work, hearty stew and a haircut. That evening he had taken her to the Burrow for dinner and to meet his family. They had all instantly liked her, not that that was any kind of surprise. She had made great conversations with all of them, before dragging him up the stairs to his room and into his past. It was there, sitting on his small childhood bed, where she had convinced him that he was doing the right things with his life, that despite what he had done he could still have a bright future.

Percy was hit with the startling realization that that had been the precise day he had fallen in love with her. She had touched and changed him in so many ways that afternoon, actions which she had continued to do on a daily basis afterwards. He felt so ashamed that it had taken him months after to really come to terms with his feelings, to realize how badly he needed her. He had had ages to tell her all these things, but instead he had suppressed the overwhelming emotion and affection like he always did.

And now he had to pay for it.

He exhaled deeply before pushing open the great wooden door, preparing to make the solemn march up the stairs to Audrey's flat.

"YOU!" a cracked voice clamored from the lobby. Percy spun, quite forgetting to distract the landlady's guard dog in his current state. The vicious fluffy animal growled as it attacked his booted feet, barking and yapping aggressively. Yet this was nothing when compared to the squat, borderline obese woman who rushed towards him, carrying what looked to Percy to be a shortened oar. She swung the flat, wooden panel at his arm, and though the blow was feeble, it smarted badly.

"Mer…My God, what are you doing?" Percy shouted as he tried to shield himself from her wild swings.

"You are a rotten scoundrel, you are!" Mrs. Ainsley cried wildly, jabbing him in the stomach and causing him to double over. "First you lie about being related to Captain Reilly, then you force me into revealing and losing my gun, and now you've gone and devastated my poor, delicate Audrey!" She emphasized her point by whacking him a few more times before pulling away in near tears.

"Your poor… you hate Audrey!" Percy cried, eyeing the wavering cricket bat as he made his point. Mrs. Ainsley hesitated, dropping the bat slightly in a fit of shame.

"It seems she talked to the Bobbies after our little incident. I should have been carted away and locked up for such possession. She somehow cleared up the whole mess and just made me destroy the gun," Mrs. Ainsley explained. Another wave of guilt rolled threw him. Audrey even protected her crazed and slightly demented landlady when it came down to it. Audrey had explained to him the harsh laws the Muggles had on gun possession. She most likely had altered the memories of the police officers, maybe even the other tenets in the building, all to make sure Mrs. Ainsley didn't go to jail. It seemed this grand gesture, though not fully comprehended by the landlady, did not pass by her.

"She came home, running through the lobby looking completely heartbroken. A look like that only comes from one source: a rotten, no good, wanker of a man." Mrs. Ainsley, apparently fueled by her insults, picked the bat back up and started charging back in a second attack.

"You're right," Percy said quickly, catching the board of the weapon in his hands before she could further affront him. "I messed up, badly. But I am here to try and set things right. I feel absolutely dreadful for the whole ordeal and will do whatever I can for her. Even…even if it means having to accept the fact that she never wants to see me again."

Percy could hardly choke out those last words, the realization that this could be the last time he ever saw the woman he loved tearing through his core. Mrs. Ainsley slowly pulled her cricket bat back, placing it down gently at her side.

"Alright," she said softly. "Go make amends. But do it right! Make my sweet Audrey cry again and I'll go off on you like Sir Ian Botham!"

"Right," Percy agreed, recognizing a threat if not completely understanding it. "Cheers."

With a strange rush of encouragement and confidence, Percy bounded up the steps, ready to both distance himself from Mrs. Ainsley and see Audrey. He made it to her door in no time.

* * *

_And now it stops at this  
We could take it all  
if only we would risk  
You can be what you can conceive  
Red letters kill your disbelief_

_We all make mistakes sometimes  
We all have failed where we stand tonight  
Look past, learn, and move on  
We're all here, you're not the only one_

_

* * *

  
_

Percy stared at the etching of her door, noticing the chipped paint and worn scratches it held for the first time. He had never been so terrified of a simple knock before. The next few minutes were among the most important of his life, and he didn't have near enough confidence in himself to believe that he would be able to fix the mess he made. All he was certain of was that if he didn't try and sort things out, that if he didn't throw himself into a solution completely, than he wasn't worthy of anything. If his looming thoughts of utter destruction were accurate upon failure, then so be it. He raised his hand and rapt firmly on the door.

"Audrey?" he called clearly, with a sad yet surprisingly strong voice. "Audrey, its Percy. Please open up. I have to talk to you."

A few moments passed in silence. He felt the adrenaline rush through his veins upon each passing second. He leaned up against the door and knocked again.

"Audrey, I know you are in there. Please, please, just let me talk to you," he pleaded desperately. More time passed in silence, and Percy began to fret that she would refuse to answer.

"What part of 'I never want to see you again' could you not get through your impossibly thick head?" an angry voice hissed from the other side.

"Audrey!" Percy cried gratefully. "Oh, please let me see you! I need…"

"Why? You want to insult me some more? Accuse me of stealing something else? Have you dug through your pompously vast vocabulary and found more colorful ways of calling me a whore?" she demanded through the door. Percy closed his eyes and rested his head up against the wood.

"No, no of course not," he replied softly. "I'm here to apologize and beg for mercy."

There was a brief moment of verbal silence as Percy heard the metallic clicks of the door being unlocked.

"Mercy!" Audrey scoffed upon opening the door. "Why would a weasel such as yourself merit any mercy?"

Percy's heart shattered upon seeing her. Her olive skin was deathly pale with red blotches covering her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were swollen and filled with angry tears. Her hair was disheveled and she was wrapped up in her purple bathrobe and duck slippers. Though her stare towards him was one of a hateful intensity, it was clear that she had spent the last three hours suffering. It killed him to know that he was the cause of such pain.

"Oh, Audrey," he muttered desperately, talking an impulsive step forward into her flat.

"How dare you come here!" she spat, stepping back in disgust. She left him standing in the kitchen as she marched into her living room. The floor was littered with crumpled tissues that surrounded the perimeter of her couch. A pint of recently opened ice cream sat abandoned on her wooden table, drops of melted chocolate dripping from a halfhearted scoop that remained on the bowl of her spoon.

"I had to talk to you," he stated, the scene sinking in sadly.

"Haven't you said enough?" she inquired harshly.

"No," he urged, "at least none of the right things. I can't believe I actually said… I didn't mean… I _have_ to apologize…"

"Oh, caught on, have we?" she asked with a laugh. "Let me guess, you finally reasoned that, despite the fact that I wasn't Head Girl like Penelope, or that my NEWT grades didn't place me right into the British Seat like Cordelia, that I wasn't so dumb as to steal a highly dangerous, highly _obvious_ potion just to make myself rich?"

"Actually, I found the Glaze," he explained truthfully, though the moment he released the words he realized it only made a bigger mess of things. Audrey let out a curt laugh.

"So you couldn't even come to a favorable conclusion about me by yourself, could you?" she asked manically. "Percy Weasley needs hard, physical evidence. Guilty until proven innocent. A true Ministry man."

Percy lowered his head, closing his eyes and biting his lips as he absorbed her truthful blows.

"It wasn't just that, I talked to Grumman also…" Percy launched into explaining how Grumman had accidentally revealed his history with her, and how he had learned about Carmen and Cordelia's trap. He had fallen into this mistake so easily, but as he watched Audrey's smirking face as he told his tale, he felt like such an utter bastard.

"Let me see if I understand this correctly. You'll believe the poison Cordelia spews, even though you know she has it in for you. You'll let yourself be duped by Carmen, your rival, on the last day of the competition, when he comes up with such preposterous accusations. You only seem to ever trust the information about me you gather behind my back, like when it comes from a Ministry file or when taken under interrogation. But everything I've ever seemed to say or do means absolutely nothing?" she surmised.

"No, Audrey, it means everything. That's… that's the problem," he breathed. Audrey's face dropped into one of disbelief.

"Are you trying to tell me this is _my_ fault?" she demanded, taking long strides over to him to stick her indignant stare right into his face.

"No!" he exclaimed, desperate to find the right words. "That's not what I meant. I just have problems trusting myself when it comes to you."

"And the hell happened to cause that?" she asked. "What horrible act did I commit that made you not want to trust yourself around me?"

"You…you were just _you,_" he stated, continuing to struggle. "The incredible, compassionate, adorable woman that I…that I…love."

Audrey staggered back a few steps, staring in utter shock as though she had been slapped.

"What did you just say?" she whispered.

"I'm in love with you," he repeated, looking her square in the eyes. He had finally said it. He had reached the point of no return. It was a terrifying form of freedom, and before he knew it, the words that he had been struggling to say all day, all summer, came pouring out.

"I am desperately, hopelessly, madly in love with you. When I'm with you it feels like nothing else matters; not work, not my past, nothing but the inexplicable fact that you seem to like to be around me. I think about you all the time and I can't stand being apart from you for too long. I find myself wanting to order coffee instead of tea just because you like it. I play those records you give me all the time because it is the only personal and happy thing I have in my flat. 'Gee whiz' seems to have been permanently plastered in my vocabulary. It physically depresses me when my desk is too organized because that means you weren't there to move things around. And all I find myself wanting to do is get as close to you as possible, engulf myself in your scent, wrap you up in my arms and never let you go. You have driven me completely mental, and I never, ever want to reach a form of sanity again."

Percy exhaled deeply, a sharp pain twisting so tightly in his stomach he felt he might get sick. Audrey simply stared at him quietly, her mouth slightly agape. She jerked her head down and stared at her feet while she wrapped her arms around herself feebly. Percy didn't dare take another breath as she stood delicately in front of him, the only movement in the otherwise still flat coming from the yellow ducks that swam around on her slippers.

"You love me?" she said quietly, her gaze remaining on the floor.

"Yes," he stated firmly. "Inconsolably."

"You love me," she repeated, this time with a firmer tone. Her head snapped up, and she stared at Percy with her intense, red eyes.

"You've done a piss poor job of showing it," she spat, turning away from him and walking to the window. He felt his heart sink to his heels as she pulled away, and he followed her shamelessly.

"Audrey, I am _so_ sorry. I can't even begin…"

"Why the hell would you have said all of those things if you loved me?" she demanded, turning around fiercely. "If you cared about me so much you feel like you can't live without me, why would you instantly believe all of those bloody things those wretched people said about me?"

"Because it was easier for me to believe you'd only be feigning interest to con me than to think you actually fancied me," he explained with miserable shame. Audrey's mouth dropped angrily.

"Why? Because I am some kind of manipulative scarlet woman?" she shouted, hot tears slipping down her face.

"No. Because I am a pathetic, worthless prat." His words quieted her, and he continued on.

"I mean look at me, I am a complete mess. I have screwed up so many times in my life. I'm not handsome or particularly charming. I don't make enough money to make a secure life for two people and I probably just botched my chance at ever getting promoted. At best I'm a bore. And you are just so… wonderful and witty and _alive_. I didn't even know they made women like you, let alone that one would trip into my life and completely enchant me. What would a witch like you want with a bloke like me?" he asked desperately. A flicker of pity danced across her face before it hardened back up.

"I guess we'll never know," she stated.

Percy felt like a knife had just been stabbed into his chest.

"We'll never know," she continued, her voice hollow, "because you couldn't ever just bring yourself to talk to me. You get so wrapped up in your own head and doubts and affairs you never bother coming to me and presenting what you feel. You just blindly accuse and shut out any other form of logic."

Percy barely heard her accusations over the breaking of his heart. He felt like every ounce of spirit he had had been completely depleted out of his system. Instinctively he looked down at her, his body ridged, stoic, and seemingly soul-less after hearing he had lost everything he had ever wanted.

"It's not like you are so straight forward and honest," he pointed out.

"What did you just say?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Face it, you are the most obvious liar on the planet. It is so easy to tell when you are hiding something. You normally talk about everything but when it comes to something close to the vest you clam up or make subtle allusions to it. But you never want to talk about those things that are clearly tearing you apart. If you ever get asked about it directly you just joke it off. I should have known better than to think you could actually lie about stealing the Glaze. It's no wonder I went crazy over all your secrets. You had so many of them and are rubbish at keeping them all covered."

"Where the hell do you get off talking to me that way?" Audrey snapped. Percy bowed his head. He felt as though he had already lost the battle, and he knew he should just walk away. Yet there was one more thing he felt he needed to say. _What the hell,_ he thought. _It's not like I have anything else to lose._

"You're hiding the best parts of you," he replied with a quiet sturdiness.

"Wh-what did you just say?" she asked, blinking rapidly at having her own words thrown back at her.

"It's true," he insisted. "You keep what happened to your family as far away from everyone as you can. And I know it's hard. I can't even imagine what it's like to have lost both your parents and be left with taking care of two kids. But I do know what it's like to blame yourself for all of those things that happened, and the want to punish yourself for the rest of your life because of it. But you suppressing what you think is your worst crime covers up the greatest thing you have ever done. You have made amazing sacrifices for your family. You could have run off and left, or shipped the kids away, or thrown whatever money you could at the problem and done whatever the hell you pleased after. But you _stayed_. You dedicated your life to taking care of the family you have left, and in spite of all the odds against you, they are great kids. You have no idea how strong you are. I have so much admiration for you. You help everyone in your life, even Mrs. Ainsley. And I know even though I've royally messed this up, I am a much better person for knowing you. I think that keeping so many secrets so personal is just… out of character for you. It eats you away. I know you think you are protecting yourself and others by doing it, but I'm afraid it's going to kill you. And I… I am ineffably sorry that I boggled things up, because I would have liked nothing more than to help you shoulder your burden. To prove to you that you had someone else you could depend on, and to have saved you at least a fraction of the amount that you have saved me."

Percy hung his head, having said most of his peace. Audrey's head shook slightly before raising up to meet his eyes. They held each other's gaze for a moment, before she ripped her head away and turned to stare out the window. Percy nodded, reading her signal of dismissal, and shuffled out of the living room. He paused before he entered the corridor, turning to look at the woman he loved for the final time. Her back remained turned to him but he could still make out the wild, individual curls he so loved running his fingers through as they lay bunched together in a pony tail.

"I'll never forgive myself," he whispered to her, before tearing himself away and shutting the door.

Percy felt his knees give out underneath him and had to brace himself against the wall. He wanted to get out of there. Away from the woman he had hurt irreparably. Away from the one place outside of the Burrow that actually felt like home. He wanted to shut himself inside of his bare, impersonal flat, and cry uninhibitedly. Every inch of him felt crushed and exploded at the same time, he may as well have walked through a black hole. He could barely push himself off the wall and stagger forward. He knew he was moments away from completely collapsing, but he couldn't do it here.

He had lost everything. He had been so close to happiness. So close to her. And he had blown it. As he shuffled down the hall, he tried to wrap his mind around the crushing fact that he would never see Audrey again.

"Hey arsehole!"

Percy jerked his head up from staring at the floor, all but tripping over the person who had Apparated right in front of him. He struggled to place his glasses back on his face, but fumbled again as he began to be punched angrily.

"I..Can't…_Believe…_YOU!" Audrey shouted. Percy gasped in pain as Audrey's fist connected magnetically to the welts that had formed from the cricket bat beating earlier. His eyes, already swollen, began to fill up with fresh hot tears. It took him a few moments to push through the ordeal before he realized just what was happening.

"You _idiotic…bloody…stupid…unbelievable…!" _Audrey gasped, unable to finish her frustrated sentence as she beat him down the hall.

"Audrey," Percy cried as she pinned him against end of the corridor. She stepped away, fuming madly as she looked at him.

"You know, I don't think there is a strong enough word to describe just what you are!" she spat, though she refrained from emphasizing her point by hitting him.

"I know…" Percy began, at a loss of what was happening.

"You are so uniquely messed up they should really just call it being 'percyied'," she stated.

"What's going down there?" an old man's voice called from down the hall, opening up his door to inspect the ruckus.

"_Muffliato!"_ Audrey yelled, whipping out her wand. Captain Reilly quit opening the door after being afflicted by the hex, and shut himself back into his room, yelling loudly that the bees had returned to take him back to their hive. Audrey paid this madness no mind and rounded her wand back on to Percy.

"Audrey," Percy said calmly, throwing up his hands. "I'm…"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she demanded in a high pitched shriek, stomping her foot in frustration. Percy closed his mouth instantly. Audrey eyed him with ire for a vicious moment before pocketing her wand and stepping back, allowing Percy the space to properly stand. She remained quiet for a moment, looking at him up and down as though in evaluation.

"You know, for someone who is supposedly so smart, you really don't have a single clue, do you?" she asked. Percy kept his mouth shut, feeling it was best that the question remain rhetorical.

"I mean, first you ruin a perfect morning by being a total and complete arse. You humiliate me beyond belief. I practically cried my eyes out in front of the entire Ministry because of you, and spent hours on my couch racked in pain…"

"Oh, Merlin, Audrey…"

"Let me finish!" she commanded, pushing him angrily again. "And then, only after talking to other people and falling off your desk do you come to the realization that you are a complete…complete…"

"A complete percy?" he suggested.

"Yes! And then…then you push yourself into my home without preparing anything to say. You clumsily profess your love for me and then blame that for all your problems. Then you spout off on how much of a loser you are and then when I agree, you start listing off _my_ faults! Who _does_ that?"

"I don't…I guess…I guess I do," he stated pathetically. "Audrey, I'm rubbish at maintaining relationships. I never bothered learning the right things to say. I suppress my feelings until they just come out in illegible word vomit. But…but I had to do something. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try, as horrible of a go as it was. I knew that without you, I didn't even have an iota of a chance for happiness."

Audrey stepped back again, staring at him intently. Percy's heart and head dropped as she pulled away. He remembered quiet vividly the disgusted face she had given him earlier, and he knew one such look would be enough to haunt his mind forever.

Audrey let out another high pitched scream of frustration as she continued her beating.

"You are just so…ARGH!" she yelled between his flinches. "I can't believe I fell in love with such a bloody, moronic…"

"What?"

Audrey froze, a look of startled shock spread across her face. Percy on the other hand felt his insides burst into life. He stood up from his crouched position, rearing up to his full height.

"What did you just say?" he repeated desperately, placing his hands lightly on her arms. Audrey stepped back slightly.

"I said…I can't believe… bloody moron…I…" Tears started to fill her eyes as she stumbled away, her already flushed face turning rose with color.

"Did you say…do you…are you in love with me?" Percy asked, his voice wavering with the question.

"I…that wasn't supposed to be what you got from this!" she yelled. She immediately returned to pounding into his chest. Percy stood firm, floored as the tiny creature continued to attack him. He tentatively stuck out his hand to caress her hot, wet face.

"No!" she cried, though she rested her head instinctively into his palm. "No, I'm mad at you! I'm…"

But whatever else she was got cut off as Percy put his lips to hers. He felt that electric spark spill down his back and immediately pushed his tongue forward to deepen it. Audrey continued to hit his chest upon the stolen contact, but as he grabbed her face and kissed her harder, the hits began to slow, until they stopped all together and she simply had her hands laid upon his torso. Suddenly, she let out a deep, quivering gasp before throwing her hands around his neck and pulling him as close as she could. Percy wrapped an arm around her waist as the other found its way into her disheveled hair. He pulled away slowly, laying a softer kiss on her lips before moving back to speak.

"Do you love me?" he asked, his voice dark with both hope and anticipation.

"Yes," Audrey whispered, gulping back a sob. "I love you."

Percy's face lit up into the brightest smile Audrey had ever seen, and he ducked his head back down to claim her lips. Audrey quickly placed her hands on his cheeks to stop his decent. When his eyes hit hers, he was met with a look of caution and seriousness.

"Percy, I do love you. I have for quite some time. But I have also been in my share of serious relationships, and each man has caused me a lot of suffering by doing something far worse than you have yet to do. But when you said those things to me today…and I came back home alone… I realized that no one had ever left me feeling so heartbroken, so destitute, so wretched. I felt…like that had to be the closest thing to a Dementor's Kiss as one could get from another human being. And I don't think I could physically_ survive_ us getting closer just for you to…to…" Audrey placed one of her hands on her own mouth, unable to finish her statement as a wave of tears streamed down her face. Percy stared at her with a look of complete terror, never dreaming that he could have such nightmare effects on someone. Especially not his Audrey.

He fell to his knees, wrapping his hands into her robe as he buried his head into her stomach. He let out a sob into her shirt as his hands spread across the soft skin of her back, pulling her as close to him as he could.

"Audrey, darling, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. I love you so bloody much, and I wish I weren't such a blasted idiot," he cried emphatically. His sharp inflections caused Audrey to laugh slightly, and she proceeded to run her fingers down into his hair, cupping his face lightly as she continued to stroke. The contact made him melt.

"I know I have been a fool, and that you deserve so much more than me. But I promise you I will do everything I can to pull myself out of my head. I know that I can, I always want to talk to you, but I always end up letting something stop me. But I'll run naked down the street if an upsetting thought pops into my head before I let it destroy us. I love you, please believe me." Percy pushed his head further into her stomach, placing desperate kisses on her abdomen. Audrey's hands lay motionless on his head for a few moments, causing Percy to shut his eyes tight in anxious hesitation.

"I guess I am just as 'percy' as you are," she stated finally, moving her hands down to his jaw and urging him to look back up at her. "Because despite everything I still trust you."

She tugged on the nape of his dress robes, motioning for him to stand up. Percy quickly scrambled to his feet.

"And I believe you," she admitted, grabbing his loose hands. Percy stared at her in shock.

"And I love you," she continued, biting her smiling lip as she stroked his stunned face.

"And I really, really, really want to be with you," she finished, pushing herself up against his body.

"You…you do?" he asked, his eyes growing wide in disbelief. Audrey nodded her head emphatically, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

"I…I…" Percy sputtered nonsensically, wishing his normally polished vocabulary could produce an elegant profession of his supreme happiness.

"That's wicked," was all he managed to say. Percy shut his eyes, having never in his life ever used that common slang statement, only to have it be the first thing that popped out of his mouth on hearing the greatest news of his life. Audrey on the other hand, burst out into uncontrollable laughter, shaking hard in his arms as her expression of delight rolled through the hall.

"I think you better kiss me now," she suggested, stroking his flushed face and neck tenderly.

"I think you're right," he replied in slight embarrassment, feeling as though he had ruined what could have been a perfect moment. But as her lips brushed against his own, placing a seemingly infinite number unbridled passionate kisses upon him, Percy couldn't think of a single way to make this instance better. As promised, he tossed away any other thought than snogging her to the end of his life, running his hands up her smooth body as she entangled herself into his hair. They pulled away, gasping for breath, each smiling radiantly as they looked lovingly at each other. Percy pried one of his hands away from her hip and cupped her face.

"Are you still terribly angry with me?" he asked in full concern, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I think you've done an acceptable job of winning me back in to your favor," she grinned, spreading her hands out across his chest.

"Acceptable?" he repeated in mock indignation, grinning widely. "I'll have you know I have never made in 'A' on anything in my life!"

Audrey stared up at him in confusion, until the play on words sunk in. She rolled her eyes good naturedly, pushing him away as she sighed in exasperation.

"I've gone and attached myself to a lunatic boyfriend," she exclaimed. "I must be mental." Percy grinned shamelessly at her appellation and snuck up behind her. In a swift motion he scoooped her up in his arms, loving the sound of her continued laughter as he spun her around.

"There must be some kind of extra credit I can work towards," he negotiated as he looked her in the eyes. "I was Head Boy you know, surely I can elevate my status one way. At least to Exceeds Expectations…"

"You're insane!" Audrey laughed as he bounced her up and down.

"And you just agreed to be my girlfriend, which means you are totally in to it!" he exclaimed happily.

"Merlin help me I am," she confessed, before grabbing his face and kissing him hungrily. Percy responded in kind for a few moments, before pulling away playfully.

"Why don't we see if we can bump up that Acceptable to an Outstanding by the end of the day, shall we?" he inquired, cocking an eyebrow suggestively.

"Oh, I do like the sound of that!" she squealed, kicking her feet happily as their lips locked in another kiss. Without breaking the contact Percy spun on the spot. A moment later the corridor lay empty, filled only with the sound of Captain Reilly readying his forces for the Second War against the bees.

* * *

_If this isn't love (If this isn't love)  
This is the closest I've ever been.  
Do you think we have a chance tonight?  
As streetlights sing on Audrey's song._

_

* * *

**(A/N: OMG! I can't believe they finally got together! I'm not much of a crier, but I totally squeezed out a few tears writing this chapter. This story has become such a big part of my life and to actually see all of my ideas down 'on paper' is totally unbelievable. There are still a couple more chapters yet to come, I have planned out far too much of this couples life to end it here, so stay tuned. At least I managed to get them together in under a year of writing, although I cut it pretty close. The anniversary of this story is January 17th. I can't believe my baby is all grown up! I'm sure I'll update at least one more time before I go back to school. As always, thank you so much for reading!)**  
_


	24. Love, Lies and High Cholesterol

Love, Lies, and High Cholesterol

The large clock on the discolored office wall hardly had to produce one of its twelve chimes for the inhabitant to happily cast off the requirements of work for the next hour. The lunch pail, which had been waiting with a quiet patience all morning, was eagerly snagged by a freckled hand from the recesses of the old desk, and was whisked out of the room before the poor clock could cough out its final proclamation of the time. With great haste was this pail paraded through the grounds of the Ministry, though carefully was it weaved between other lunch goers, and jealously was it guarded on the lift trip down to the Atrium. The moment the doors sprung open the usually polite red head burst from the lift confines and all but sprinted to the cafeteria.

Little else had been on Arthur Weasley's mind since he watched his lunch get made the night before. The past year he had been plagued with a fateful visit to a Healer who pronounced that, though otherwise healthy, the professional was a tad troubled by his patient's cholesterol. That was all Molly needed to hear to irreparably alter one of Arthur's favorite comforts: her cooking. His traditional breakfast had been replaced with egg whites and turkey bacon. His favorite sauces had been rationed or else completely eliminated from his plate. The sharp zest of the best kinds of cheese had been replaced by white circles of tasteless rubber. And he had all but forgotten what ice cream tasted like.

He didn't dare argue with Molly's new regime, he quite understood why she so reverently worked to keep her family healthy, but he couldn't deny that it had been quite an unconstitutional change in his life.

That is until two days ago when he returned to St. Mungos for his check up. The Healer had been amazed at the level at which the cholesterol had dropped. Not only was it nowhere near threatening levels, it had dropped closer to the lower side of average. As Molly cheered happily, Arthur nearly cried. Then the Healer proceeded to say that he had intended to proscribe a potion that would have allowed him to eat the majority of his favorite foods and still stay healthy, but since he had done such a remarkable job naturally he no longer saw a need. Arthur nearly cried for a different reason.

However, Molly agreed that such a remarkable achievement on her husband's behalf merited the occasional treat. Therefore, packed inside his lunch pail sat a treasure trove of forbidden non-fruits. An extra buttered baguette contained a liver and kidney sandwich, coupled with extra sharp cheddar cheese and smothered in Molly's homemade chutney. Accompanying was a large cut of Ginny's brownies, which had began to rival her mother's traditional recipe, though no one had yet dare say that out loud.

Arthur grabbed the first free table he could find and settled down quickly. He took a moment of silence to prepare himself for his much deserved feast before he moved to flip the pail open.

"Ah, Arthur, there you are! Just the man I was looking for…or one of them anyways."

Arthur let out a brief grimace of interruption before turning around to greet the seeker.

"Hullo, Spiro," Arthur said happily to his friend, although he feared his greeting may have been over shadowed by the roar of his stomach. Mr. Grumman seemed not to have noticed and jovially pulled up the seat across from him.

"How have things been going on your end of the Ministry?" Spiro inquired; the grin on his face much larger than needed when initiating office small talk.

"Oh, as crazed and bumbled as usual," Arthur responded, chuckling infectiously at the man's obvious excitement. "How about you?"

Spiro looked down sheepishly at his lap before responding.

"I got engaged last night," he beamed. Mr. Weasley's eyes widened in happy surprise.

"Congratulations, you old devil!" Arthur stated, slapping him firmly on the shoulder.

"I can't believe it," Spiro responded in elation. "I don't know what came over me. One moment it is business as usual and the next I feel like I'll just explode if I don't ask her. When I woke up this morning it felt like it had all been a dream, but there she was, diamond ring and all! I just wish I knew what had hit me to finally ask her so I can get some more of it, Merlin knows I've wanted to ask her for years."

"These things happen at strange times," Arthur nodded knowingly. "I proposed to Molly after she took me to a Muggle children's museum for our anniversary."

"How romantic," Spiro laughed genuinely. Arthur grinned.

"Like I said, these things happen at strange times," Arthur repeated, reaching back towards his lunch pail to begin his eagerly anticipated meal.

"Oh!" said Spiro suddenly, startling Arthur into pulling his hands away. "Speaking of things happening at strange times, how is Percy?"

Arthur immediately frowned and knitted his eyebrows together in worry.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked slowly. Spiro dipped into his robes and pulled out two letters, one of which still remained sealed. Spiro handed the open letter over to Arthur to read.

_Mr. Grumman,_

_I am writing to inform you that, due to illness, I will be unable to come to work today. It is nothing that a weekend's rest around the flat won't cure, and I assure you I will be back to work on Monday fully recovered. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience and will work diligently to make up any work that I might have missed._

_Signed,_

_Percy I. Weasley_

"I don't blame the poor bloke for needing a day off. Merlin knows how hard he's worked, probably past the point of exhaustion. And he really couldn't have picked a better day to be absent as there really isn't much to do until next week anyways now that the quarter is over. But when I pulled out his attendance file I realized that in five years of working for the Ministry, the boy has never missed a single day of work. He's never even been _late_. It just got me worried that maybe something more serious than he has let on had happened, and I wanted to ask about it," Spiro stated in concern after Arthur finished the letter.

"I haven't heard anything," Arthur responded, though dread began to trickle through his veins. He knew for a fact that Percy had never missed a class due to illness either, even when eagerly suggested by Madam Pomfrey. Percy would never miss work for something as trifling as a cold. A broken heart however…

Arthur looked down at his lunch pail. The food inside which had just moments ago held true happiness no longer shined like a beacon. And though his stomach growled in protest, Arthur Weasley listened to the internal organ that had lead him to live the good life he had had instead. Noting he still had 35 minutes left for his break, Arthur quickly stood up and gathered his belongings.

"I think I'll go run by and check on him. See if he needs anything," Arthur stuttered hurriedly. Spiro nodded his head.

"Good. I almost wanted to go myself, but I didn't want him to think I was checking on him to see if he was just skiving off. I actually hope he is, the man could use a little disruption to his order," Spiro said off handedly. He then handed Arthur the sealed letter and smiled.

"Could you give him this while you are over there?" he asked.

"No problem," Arthur replied, nodding in good-bye and stuffing the letter into his robes. He quickly dashed out of the lunch room and made his way out of the Ministry.

He woefully remembered how in sorts his son had been the day before. He had hardly ever seen Percy so emotional, so lost. Arthur had hoped that Percy would have been able to sort things out. However, he could picture all too clearly his son sulking miserably around his flat, labeling himself both worthless and inconsolable, and building up those walls of steel he had worked so hard to tear down.

As soon as he was clear he Apparated to Percy's neighborhood. It was on a quiet little square, close to a large park. Although Arthur knew exactly where Percy lived, he had never actually been there. Percy always preferred going to the Burrow and never extended an invitation to his place. The building was rather simple and practical; a hundred percent efficient with no external decoration. Arthur sighed as he pushed open the door.

He slowly ascended the stairs to Percy's unit, trying to think of the best thing to say to his distraught son. He took a deep breath before knocking firmly on the door. He expected it would take some cajoling to get his son to answer, and was therefore given some hope when he instantly heard rustling from the other side of the door.

"See, Percy," a surprising voice called from inside the flat. "I told you the pizza guy would be able to find your place…"

Arthur was shocked when he was greeted at the door by the small, olive skinned witch with vibrantly disheveled dark hair. Furthermore, her attire maintained only of what Arthur recognized as one of Percy's white dress shirts, which though covering her body, remained wildly suggestive. Both parties only had enough time to turn various shades of red when another figure entered the room.

"I wasn't arguing with you, I've just never tried…" the voice stopped midsentence as the speaker espied the scene. Percy's entire body blushed violently when he realized his father had been ushered into his flat by his scantily clad girlfriend. Another wave of uncontrollable embarrassment hit him as he remembered he was adorned only in Audrey's purple bathrobe. The two Weasleys stared at each other in a fearful silence.

"Please don't tell Mum about this!" Percy finally exclaimed, all but shouting. The silence was further interrupted as Audrey burst into a wild fit of laughter, doubling over as she held her hand to her mouth in vain.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Arthur responded, laughing along with her. Percy quickly disappeared back into his bedroom. As he reappeared wrapped in a full length quilt, Arthur felt his insides jump with joy. He felt a slight stab of shame for not giving his son enough credit to be able to win Audrey over, but such action, coupled with skiving off work to stay in bed all day, was highly out of the ordinary for his inflexibly practical son. Then again, as he watched Percy desperately try to wrap Audrey up in a sheet while she continued to laugh, Arthur began to expect that there would be a whole new order of what Percy could be expected to do.

"Grumman was worried about you," Arthur began with a grin, explaining his interruption. "You've never owled in sick for anything."

"And that is definitely something worth worrying about," Audrey finished, finally allowing the sheet to be draped around her. "There are serious health ramifications headed your way if you have never called in well."

Percy grinned sheepishly as Audrey worked to wrap her arm around his waist while restricted in her Muggle ghost costume attire.

"I quite agree with you there," Arthur replied happily. "And seeing as my son seems to be entrusted in quiet able hands, I'll leave you be."

Percy smiled genuinely at his father, and though he was still quiet flushed, Arthur had never seen his son look happier. Audrey too beamed in elegant radiance as she stared adoringly up at the man she wrapped her arms around. Arthur was elated with how things had turned out. Percy's avid adherence to his job had miraculously manifested itself into a relationship that had already been life changing. And though Mr. Weasley was now privy to some of the traumatic details of Audrey's life, he let out an indulgent praise that their pasts had led them to one another.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Arthur stated suddenly, midway into his turn to leave. "Two things actually. One: dinner this Wednesday. Charlie is back in town again. It will be the perfect time for you to reintroduce Audrey as your…erm…"

"Girlfriend," they both completed without hesitation. Arthur grinned at the couple, happy to be certain of the correct nomenclature and that such classification seemed to leave them so ecstatic.

"Brilliant," Arthur beamed. "Secondly, I have a letter to deliver to you from Mr. Grumman."

Percy's face morphed from that of sublime ease into instant and serious anxiousness. He stared emotionlessly at the thin envelope stamped with the official Ministry seal held in his father's hand. Audrey's already large eyes rounded as she looked from the paper up to the unmoving statue next to her.

"Go on," she poked in excitement. "Open it."

Percy steadily took the envelope from his father, taking great care to peel off the adhesive seal, allowing the parchment to unroll naturally. His audience watched as he took a deep breath and slowly let his eyes flicker across the page. The room filled with silence.

"So?" Audrey asked breathlessly, unable to read the stoic expression cemented on his face.

"I…" he muttered disbelievingly. "I…got the job."

Arthur broke out into another grin, holding pride both in his son's accomplishments of the summer and slight amusement from the dumbfounded look held upon Percy's face. Percy, for his part, continued talking as though he were still trying to believe it himself.

"Look," he pointed in persuasion, holding the letter of congratulations out for Audrey to see. "It says right here that I start on Monday and…"

But Percy was cut off by an excited squeal and Audrey throwing her arms around his neck. The deep kiss he received seemed to have kicked the realization of his much sought after promotion into overdrive. He quickly embellished the embrace, holding her tight and spinning her around, ridding them both of their extra layers and reducing them back to the basic covering of the morning. Arthur closed the door quietly behind him, reading his proper queue to exit. He checked his watch and grinned in satisfaction. If he hurried, he would still have enough time on his break to properly enjoy his lunch.

(_**A/N: Yet another example of how this story runs away from me with a mind of its own. I've been working on what was supposed to be one chapter now for a month and it is far too long to continue being so. The next update shall be soon, it will not be the last chapter, and I'm just going to stop predicting how many more there are because inevitably I will be wrong.)**_


	25. The Unwinding of Percy Weasley

The Unwinding of Percy Weasley

Audrey giggled with maddening delight as Percy continued to spin her around in jubilation. She felt wildly intoxicated by the excited passion in which he kissed her, so much so that she remained dizzy even after he pulled away to voice his pleasure.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed brightly, reminding Audrey of the excitement Christmas used to issue out of her younger siblings. Quite dizzy himself, Percy half fell on to his living room couch, pulling a willing Audrey along with him. She crashed on to his chest clumsily and was surprised she didn't knock the breath out of him. But Percy's face remained set in unrestrained joy, causing her to smile infectiously. He spread out his lengthy frame on his firm couch and she moved to straddle his waist as he propped his laid head with a pillow.

"This has unequivocally been the best day of my life," he announced with a joyful smile, placing his hands lightly on her upper thighs so his thumbs caressed both her skin and the ends of his wrinkled dress shirt. The simple contact shot a spark up her body, and she felt her longing warmth spread with each gentle stroke. She leaned over so she could lay on top of him and dipped down to kiss him once more, running her hands happily through his thick curly hair. He was incredibly handsome when he smiled like that, his eyes shining in simple confidence.

"I'm so happy for you, sweetheart," she beamed as they pulled away, stroking his face gently. "You've worked so hard and you so deserve the post."

"I couldn't have done it without you," he told her seriously.

"Oh, nonsense!" she responded, fluffing his hair playfully in hopes to return the smile to his face. "I'll I did was help push around parchment and occasionally expedite the bureaucratic process with my feminine wiles."

"No," he replied, almost sternly. "You've brought out so many good things in me…I don't even know how to begin to thank you."

Audrey sat back slightly and bit her lip, her heart melting at the passionate mix of sincerity, adoration and guilt that flashed across his face as he stared at her diligently.

"Well," she began, finally able to croak out a word as she once again stroked his face. "Lucky for you it looks like you have a world of time with me to figure that out."

Percy's face lit up into another smile, one which when released was becoming increasingly difficult not to kiss.

"I'll hold you to that," he replied sleepily, happily meeting her in another kiss before reclining back down on the couch.

Audrey could hardly blame him for his exhaustion. The previous night had been the most wonderful of her life. He had taken them right back to his flat after their exclamation in her hallway. Forgoing his hosting duties for the moment, he bypassed the rest of his home and led her straight into his bedroom. They made love fervently, grasping to one another tightly through the whole act as though both were somehow afraid the other would disappear if they released their hold. It had been an unreal experience, surpassing everything she thought she knew on the matter. She felt certain that such a happening could only be one of those perfect moments you experienced once in your life; until she was proven wrong an hour later during their next union. The night had subsequently been filled with blissful exploration and passionate decrees. It had been utterly amazing.

It had also been incredibly emotionally taxing.

They stayed up talking throughout the night. Some of it was the normal, silly, casual talk they always had. The sweet teasing and happy encouragement that was so natural and fulfilling, one of the many things she loved about being around him.

Most of the conversation that night, however, followed heavier themes. After they finally settled into his bed they began to more deeply discuss their newly established relationship. Percy continued to apologize for his mistrust and the way he acted. At the risk of sound crazy he tried to explain the inner battles that raged in his head when he was conflicted, and even divulged that it went to the point once where he saw a physical apparition of his internal thoughts at her flat. They talked a bit about his past and perhaps why he was so quick to think the way he did.

Listening had been the easier part. Though it pained her to hear of his conflicted guilt, she felt she either personally understood where he was coming from, or could empathize in the general direction. She was more than happy to be able to cup his face and kiss him when it seemed to all pile up on him. This was an expression she had found herself wanting to do for months, and to not only be able to show this sort of supporting affection, but to watch his eyes light up and his smile grow after they pulled away was just one of many things she celebrated that night. Ever since she had gotten to know him she wanted nothing more than for him to be able to talk freely to someone about his issues, always secretly hoping it would be to her that he would want to open up to and seek comfort from.

But of course, communication is a two way path. Percy had been completely right when he pointed out her sloppy style of secret keeping. She had always been open by nature, but past events had forced her into keeping things closed, either for selfish or necessary reasons. Even though she acknowledged how wonderful her life had turned out considering all that had happened during the war, it was still difficult to overcome that learned inhibition. It was almost more difficult to come out and talk to Percy than perhaps it would have been to talk to Max, had he ever cared to ask about such things. Percy listened intently, patiently, wanting to hear what she had to say. It was almost intimidating to have such care focused on her.

It was obvious that Percy recognized her hesitation and her silence, but gratefully he did not push. She quickly rambled into her own apologizes, of how there were so many things she wanted to tell him, but how she almost felt like she had lost the ability to express such things. She quickly worked herself up into a state, and soon tears threaten to fall. He smiled calmly, gently stroking her hair and the curve of her hips, reassuring her it was okay, and if there was one thing he had learned was that things like this took time to tell.

His patience only added to her internal frustration. She felt like that night should be the time, like her revelations would help patch over her quiet shortcomings. Percy had expressed how her silence on certain things was what drove him to his irrational quarrels over her character. Although she believed he had overreacted on his trains of thought, she recognized how detrimental not opening up was when they were otherwise so close. Audrey did not want Percy doubting for a single moment whether or not she loved him. She buried her head into his chest desperately, chastising herself for being unable to see how to overcome her hurdles as he held her close.

"Tell me about your mum," Percy asked softly a few moments later, slowly tracing lazy circles across her soft back. Audrey smiled gratefully into his body. Leave it up to Percy to be able to find an appropriate place to start on a chaotic and seemingly impossible project. Her mother would be a safe place to start, an easy place to end, but the perfect transitional leap if she chose to divulge further.

She pulled away slightly and began to oblige him with his request. She talked about how close they had been. She had been a daddy's girl by action and style, and their personalities were dead similar. However, it had been with her mother that she had expressed all of her problems, both big and small. Her mother was only 18 when she had been born so they were naturally close, the issues and feelings of adolescence still fresh on her mind as her daughter experienced them for herself. Her mother was much more pragmatic and grounded than her husband and daughter, and it was really through her that the family's dream of owning their own record shop was realized. But she was a great empathizer, a skill of which Audrey greatly admired and actively tried to replicate. Unfortunately it had been a trait not quite perfected at the end of her teenage years, and this immaturity had loaned itself into her biggest regret.

It had been her mother who had told her not to travel and to stay with the family. For once in their lives Lucia begged her daughter to see what her small sacrifice would mean to the rest of them, and that some things were bigger than personal dreams. It had been a request Audrey had promptly spat at, unaccustomed to her parents not supporting her and too narrow minded to see the consequences for her actions. It was a failing Audrey dealt with daily, and no matter how much effort and sacrifice she made for her siblings, she knew she would never forgive herself for her selfishness.

Percy held her closely as she battled her tears. He said nothing but clutched her firmly; placing light kisses on her forehead as he stroked her hair. Although she knew he was intent on showing his love, support and comfort by such action, she felt she knew intuitively that there was more behind his hold than just that. There was a desperateness to his grip, one that symbolized both grief and thanks simultaneously. She was left in no doubt that he was thinking about his own mother and the similar path he had taken. It could have just as easily been his parents. The loss of a dear younger brother so soon after their reunion had been earthshaking enough, but to have never gotten to express his sorrow and his love for his mother, to have spent over three years apart and to have never gotten to be cradled in her arms again…

Audrey adjusted her embrace slightly to open up her own body, holding him as much as he did her. She kissed his chest lightly, unable to move or even think past such action. Percy let his arms lay still around her for a few moments, causing the two to be locked in a motionless hold sans her sparse kisses, before he suddenly sprang to life. His mouth found hers quickly, desperately, and once again their bodies entwined with each other to form another perfect stream of moments.

The dark and disparaging atmosphere quickly switched back to a lighter mood. For some unknown reason she couldn't stop giggling after feeling the effects of her climax. After being assured it was a strange blend of exhaustion, happiness, and the rush of endorphins that caused her laughter and not some blunder on his part, he teased her sparingly.

She swiftly moved to straddle his waist as he lay stretched across the bed, grinning shamelessly as she let out a few remaining giggles. She found she rather liked this position atop him. Percy's great height had always been an attractive physical trait to her, but she couldn't help but love the new vantage point. She had never been able to look down at him before, and found the change in position oddly pleasurable.

"So this is what it's like to be taller than other people?" she inquired, casting her gaze out below to him. "It's nice. I see why you like it so much." Percy grinned wickedly up at her.

"Although you may be seated temporarily at higher elevation, I can assure you that when it comes to views I by no means have the short stick," he replied coolly, his gaze focused clearly at her bare chest. Audrey laughed again, this time of her own derision.

"I love how even when you're being lewd you're still so sophisticated in your speech," she stated with a chuckle.

"What can I say? I'm a classy man," he teased, lifting his upper body so he could sit up while still keeping her firmly in his lap. He nestled his head into the crook of her neck and kissed her skin slowly. As she closed her eyes she was struck yet again with the realization of just how tender he was. Once, when she was still unhappily with Max, she spent her moments before sleep wondering what it would be like to be with Percy. Her thoughts were spoiled slightly by Max's snores and the laden guilt that comes with thinking about another man while you slept next to your boyfriend. Perhaps that was why she imagined sex with her boss being subpar and perfunctory. Now as she was nestled happily with Percy, she was grateful that she couldn't have been more wrong. He went about love making the same way he went about every task he preformed: fully, thoroughly, and with a drive for perfection. They had only been together three times and already he had a thorough lay out of her body. His attention to the smallest, most mundane detail, while slightly ostentatious when it came to dull Ministry work, had sent her into maddeningly passionate throws during their shags.

"Who was it that taught you to do that tongue thing so I can send her a thank you card?" she asked, grinning upon the memory of a particularly fruitful venture. Percy however pulled away, slightly flustered at the question.

"That…er… that I actually read about in a magazine. I've never actually preformed it, but the procedure always stuck," he explained, his eyes cast down to the side. Audrey burst out into laughter.

"You would actually read _those_ magazines for the articles," she joked, rubbing his arm affectionately. Percy chuckled along with her, his neck and face still slightly flushed. He seemed to have something more to say in response, but each time he opened his mouth to speak he only expelled a muted laugh and ruffed his hair with a grin.

"What is it?" she asked encouragingly, noting this comical yet still serious seeming apprehension.

"It's…I keep wanting to say something, but it's kind of…loaded," he explained fitfully. Audrey cocked an eyebrow.

"About sex? Percy, darling, feel free to suggest anything you want, in fact I kind of demand openness when it comes to, you know, new positions, locations, fantasies, role-play…"

"Whoa!" Percy exclaimed, throwing up his hands with an excited grin. "That's…that's bloody brilliant to know, and believe me I'd love to go back to that topic, but that's not actually what I was about to get at. It was about…er…" Audrey stared at her new boyfriend quizzically as he struggled clumsily for the words, replaying the beginning of their conversation to see what exactly could be placing him in such sorts.

"Oh!" she sang, finally piecing the puzzle together. "The 'who was it that taught you' comment. This is about exs, isn't it?"

"Well, not exactly, but…well…yeah. I mean I figure there are things we should talk about eventually, but…"

"I agree, down and dirty, lets air it out," she stated with a grin, sitting up attentively.

"Wow, I just meant…"

"For Merlin's sake, sweetheart, spit it out!" she demanded with a grin, tossing a pillow into his chest playfully. Percy nodded his head, acknowledging the fact that he had been dancing around what he wanted to say.

"It's just last night and this whole evening has just been perfect. And I mean on top of us getting together, the…the sex, as limited as it has been so far, has been the way I've always wanted. And trust me I realize this seems to be an easy thing to say on its own, but it definitely leads to further explanation," he began.

"Oh yes," she agreed good naturedly. "I mean, I absolutely love what you just said, even though I have almost no idea what you're talking about." Percy laughed heartily.

"It just means that my sexual encounters before you were fundamentally lacking in one way or another," he explained. "With Penny it was all such a big deal. We were together for ages before we finally slept together, and it was all heavily guilt laden."

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Well, you remember Penelope. She was very old fashioned. And sex before marriage, sex purely for pleasure for that matter, was against part of her nature. I understood this, and was shocked when she told me she wanted to start, but I was seventeen year old boy and all that entails, and was eager for anything." He paused as Audrey giggled slightly at this confession before he continued.

"I guess so she didn't feel bad or slaggy, her words not mine, sex always need to be dressed up: candles, rose petals, what have you. I mean, all that is fine, and I like to be romantic, honestly I do, it's just… it stops being romantic when you have to do it every time you do it. In fact it makes it all rather trying."

"That does sound dreadful," Audrey agreed.

"Yeah. And, I don't know, with us it's just felt so much more organic, the way it should be." Audrey smiled happily and grabbed his hand in agreement. Percy smiled back, grateful for her understanding, and kissed her hand gently.

"And the fundamental flaw with Cordelia?" Audrey asked coyly. "I don't really read her as the romanticizing guilt type."

"Ah no," he replied, grinning sheepishly. "In fact there probably should have been much more guilt involved at the time." He rubbed his face and kept it covered with his hands as he lay back upon the bed, as though trying to hide from this particular section of the conversation.

"And how did that all start?" she asked, urging him on. She had always been rather curious when it came to Percy and Cordelia. In fact, the desire to hear this story was why she so avidly jumped to the chance to talk about their baggage.

"It was back when I first started working for Scrimgeour. We were working together on some project, I scarcely even remember. Sadly, we were a lot alike back then, ruthless, ambitious, and totally alienating. We were a good match in that regard, I suppose. Anyways, we were working late at night in the office, I think I suggested we take a break because then she suggested…well, that we shag basically, I forget the specific innuendo she used. Anyways, I was a twenty year old male, and all that _that_ entails, so naturally I agreed and…"

"Wait a minute!" Audrey implored gleefully. "You went at it right there, in the Minister of Magic's office?"

Percy's face went red, obviously flustered that she had picked up on that little detail. Audrey began to laugh.

"Was it on the desk?"

"I don't want to talk about this."

"I mean, that must have been a big moment for you."

"Seriously, the details aren't what's necessary."

"Did she call you Minister Weasley? Because I totally would have played into the whole thing…"

"ANYWAYS," Percy said loudly, cutting off the rest of her statement with a flushed grin. "We sort of started an agreement. It was strictly physical as we both had neither the time nor inclination for any sort of relationship. It was good, I suppose. It got me through some stressful times, though in hindsight I should have dealt with those issues instead of looking for an outlet. But then, of course, everything changed the year before the Battle. I started to pull away from the Ministry and focus on saving who I could, and she was still about the status quo and gaining her own power. Not a Dark Arts supporter…"

"But still kind of evil," Audrey interjected with a laugh.

"Undoubtedly," Percy agreed. His smile flickered softly and his face fell slightly. "I feel ashamed that I used to revere the wicked qualities in her."

"We all have bad baggage," she assured quickly. "I mean look at me. Roger Davis was a complete git and a serial cheat, Warren was a spineless thief, Tiger was a talentless…"

"You dated a man named Tiger?" Percy asked suddenly, springing up quickly.

"I don't know if you would call it so much _dating_," she began. Percy crinkled his nose unhappily.

"He was that sculptor who ditched me when I was trapped under the Fidelius Charm and was at St. Mungos," she explained.

"Oh," he replied, softening his features slightly. Still, he retained a slightly indignant look on his face.

"I don't even want to hear it, you had a purely sexual relationship with Cordelia, and she's part demon," Audrey pointed out.

"Touché," he countered with a sheepish grin. "But, _Tiger_? Really?"

"Not all men can have such strong and charming names like Percival," she pointed out, happily straddling him once more. An indulgent smile crossed his face at the compliment and he reverted to absentmindedly stroking her thigh.

"Still, the name is wildly suggestive," he continued, still trying to find backing to his dislike of the situation. "I can't but conjure up certain images."

"Don't," she grinned, rolling off him so she could lie beside him. "His name is terribly misleading. Irritated House Cat would have been more descriptive." Percy laughed gently.

"And Max?" he inquired lightly.

"Ugh, that was like going at it with an uncontrolled jackhammer," she remembered uncomfortably. After explaining to him just what a jackhammer was, Percy laughed again.

"No, that's not what I meant," he said through chuckles. He turned on his side so he could face her more directly.

"I mean, I get Roger, every girl in school fancied him. Warren you've explained to me a bit and Tiger…anyways, I have a good grasp on your other relationships, but I could never understand you and Max. I know he's a handsome Quidditch player, but that alone seems too shallow for you, especially now," he stated. Audrey sighed, as it was now her turn to explain an embarrassing ex.

"It all was rather shallow," she agreed. "I had just sent the kids back to Hogwarts after Christmas break. It was a hard holiday, the first anniversary of many unhappy events that had happened during that season. But we managed to get through it okay. I had started working at the Ministry, I had moved in to my flat so there was actual space at my Nana's, and we splurged on proper gifts and a big feast to get us through. It all got me thinking of how…grown up I had become. I knew I was doing the right thing and I had no desire to abandon my family or anything of the sort, it just hit me how different my life was than it was a year since then. My desire to be a starving and free moving artist had switched to a rather dull full time job and being responsible for everyone and thing in my life. I went to a tavern to have a pint, reflect on my new life, when he came next to me and said something to the effect of "you look down. How would you like to fly with me to Greece for a week?"."

"Well, that's awfully foreword," Percy stated with a slight grumble.

"I know," Audrey replied with a laugh. "But it was a marvelous outlet. With the kids at school and his off season it was more than easy to collaborate my work schedule around fancy trips of whimsy. It allowed me to both be responsible and still have a wild freedom at once. And for awhile it was perfect."

"Until?" Percy inquired, obviously eager to hear her change of heart. She smiled at his intense look and brushed his hair affectionately.

"Until the beginning of the summer when David and Ama returned and I realized I had no room and really no desire for flashy and flakey people in my life. It was all fine when it was fun and games, but he didn't understand anything about me fundamentally. He couldn't see why I wouldn't want to go out to pubs with him at night, even when I explained that I had to cook a meal for four people and wanted to spend time with my family. He didn't understand why I didn't want to stay over at his place most nights because I wanted to go to Nana's and see how well they all slept. I mean, who can enjoy going to a catered breakfast when all you can think about is whether or not your brother had another one of those nightmares that causes him not to speak for days? Or wondering if your sister actually started her Charms essay like she promised she would after you indulged her a day at the park? It very quickly sunk in that the things that were most important to me in life, my family and keeping us all together and happy, were things he didn't and probably would never appreciate." She paused for a moment, grinning as she picked the next words to finish her explanation.

"And then there was of course another pesky little detail that added to my detachment of Max," she continued, dangling her statement playfully.

"Oh? And what was that?" Percy inquired in genuine curiosity. Audrey's smile grew at his cluelessness.

"The fact that halfway through the summer I realized had I had fallen in love with somebody else," she stated simply. Percy's eyebrows shot up his face in surprise.

"Really? You…that early on?" he asked with a blurt. Audrey laughed at his confusion.

" I'm sorry," he said with his own laugh. "It's just I think you are far more wonderful a person then I am, and it was only very recently that I realized how deeply I feel for you. It's still hard for me to fathom that you love me now, but earlier in the summer? I was a right git."

"No you weren't! Well, maybe a little…" she stated with a giggle. "Okay, perhaps a moderate amount of git."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "I can't imagine what I could have done to make you like me then, before I, er…"

"Started laying down your moves?" she suggested with a suppressed smirk. Percy flushed slightly at the comment.

"Well yeah. I mean, what would a girl like you see in me? I'm so unlike the other men you've dated," he stated seriously.

Audrey exhaled in muted exasperation.

"Don't you realize that's the whole point?" she exclaimed desperately. The look of confusion on his face mirrored the perplexing feelings she had struggled with all summer. She sat straight, and began to try and explain to him the progression of her feelings for him.

When she first started working for Percy, she couldn't help but be thoroughly amused. She had spent a good chunk of her school years hearing about how big of a prat he was from Fred and George. Although Percy clearly didn't remember the encounter, they had actually met once before at school. He had scolded her for being too rambunctious in the library as the book she was using to research Laughing Charms wouldn't stop giggling. She had tried to keep it quiet but found the whole situation so humorous she couldn't help but snicker along with her volume. Percy imparted a short lecture about propriety, spiked with him lamenting the fact that he was a year away from being of prefect age and being able to stop people like her. After that moment she guiltlessly joined in Fred and George having a laugh about him during class.

So when professional circumstances paired them up she felt well prepared to take on his wound up attitude with a grain of salt. It was rather amusing those first few days to watch him get so irritated over the smallest of things and she had to keep from laughing at the recollections of Fred and George's impressions of him.

Yet also in those first few days she couldn't help but notice a few other things about him. Buried beneath the pompous impatience he projected was a curt and agile mind. She was thoroughly impressed with the amount of information he was able to recall, and how quickly he was able to understand complex charts or statistical information that made her head spin just by looking at them. He may have been a bit of a windbag, but he was certainly much more capable than some of the other people she had worked for.

With the respect for his intelligence earned, she quickly began to realize how much his job meant to him. She had always just assumed him to be power hungry, willing to do anything to get to the top. Although that may have possibly been true at one point she learned that that was no longer the case. He genuinely loved his job, and viewed the mundane workings of it as very important, which they were, despite their tediousness.

Her respect for him blossomed at this point. He had a real passion for his work not usually seen in a bureaucracy position. It was a passion she seemed to understand thoroughly. It was akin to how she felt about her art, and it was a zeal she actively sought out in other people. If her past lovers had anything in common, besides being eventual disappointments, they all were passionate about what they did. Quidditch, enterprise and art were all ventures that demanded passion, and Audrey couldn't stand the idea of being around someone who wasn't in love with the career they chose to dedicate their life to. It wasn't a fervor she expected to find in the International Trading Standard Body, but once she discovered it, she couldn't help but find herself liking Percy in spite of himself.

There was then of course the matter of his family. His furrowed brow would always clear when his mother was mentioned or his father swung round. She got used to thinking Percy was so much older than he was as he looked so serious, but the lightness that encompassed him when he talked about his family made him look his actual twenty three. She remembered the extreme look of graciousness he had given her when she had told him she wouldn't mind working late so he could have dinner over at The Burrow. She had been taken aback with how handsome he looked when he smiled like that, and even further confused that she had thought that thought. She found herself overly pleased with how quickly Percy had encouraged her to come to dinner and meet his family, and she went about beaming merrily the rest of the day.

And what a family! She had always held a soft spot in her heart for the Weasley clan and adored sitting among them. It was wonderful of course to see George again and loved being able to catch up with him. It was slightly absurd to sit among Harry, Ron and Hermione, the saviors of their world, and see them get treated like any other young members of a family. Molly was a doll and Audrey had found an instant friend in Fleur. But what she had liked the most was seeing Percy in his element. He was the perfect mix of an older and younger brother. He took and even dished out teasing like a pro. He had smiled and laughed constantly, had felt so at ease, so peaceful, and so was different that the uptight image she had carried around of him for so long.

She had meant every word she had said to him on the couch in her flat, about him being witty, a good friend, and a person who was enjoyable to be around. What she had left out however were the strange yet enjoyable feelings he had ignited in her. She had never really been around a man like him before. So serious and particular, yet remarkably easy to soften and be around once you understood his quirks. He worked so hard, yet with a little cajoling could be so much fun. He was eager to please and easily fascinated.

Most importantly and impressively, he was dependable. He had come to her side so many times she was left in no doubt that she could count on him. From her problems with Max to her struggles with her family and artwork he had been there, giving her a security she hadn't felt since she was a child. Percy's innate personality caused him to listen carefully to fix a problem presented to him, and his recent experiences had taught him that sometimes the best cure wasn't a concrete solution, but someone just being there for you. His constant presence and aid throughout the summer had left a huge impression and want for him, and she had been struck with the sobering realization that Percy was the only person she had ever met whom she could truly see herself spending the rest of her life with.

It was a startling revelation, yet not one that made her want to run for a childish outlet like her engagement to Warren or her whole relationship with Max had. Her feelings for Percy, so strong and developed even before she dated him, left her terrified and thrilled all at once. She was overjoyed when he let his interest show and asked her on a date. As surreal and horrifying as was Max's violence, she was so grateful for how Percy fought for her. The end of their night was blissfully perfect, better than she could have ever hoped or imagined, and when she had woken up that morning she didn't think she could have been any happier to have found herself in his arms.

And when she came into his office later, and he had said those things to her, those hurtful, malice filled, accusatory things, she felt like her reconstructed world had crashed down around her. She had never felt so emotionally crushed, despite all she had been through. For the first time since she had left home and lost her parents she had felt certain that she had found a person to share her life with, someone to give and take the slack that reality forced. She had felt so broken and worthless she barely made it to the couch, barely had the effort to breathe.

All the color in Percy's face paled as she told him this. Audrey struggled with new tears as she explained this last bit to him. She didn't want to cry and she didn't want to guilt him any further. She understood the misunderstanding and was more than ready to move past it, but she felt she had to express the power he could hold over her. He had to know what he was capable of doing.

"Audrey…" he croaked, fighting his own tears. "Audrey, I'm so sorry…"

Audrey hid her face in her hands, embarrassed about the vulnerable state she was in and tried desperately to stop the tears from falling. She heard Percy's bed creak and his mattress shift as a body rose from it. Audrey's eyes snapped open as she watched him leave the warm sanctuary of his covers for his cold bedroom floor. He paced nervously, unsure of what to do, looking wracked with guilt and helplessness.

"I don't know what to do. I feel like I can't live with what I put you through. You're so wonderful and I'm so worthless and undeserving and…"

_Leave it to him to make me go from inconsolably sad to enraged in just three sentences,_ she thought through gritted teeth. Audrey flung the quilt off the bed, stomping up to him wearing nothing but the most intensely fierce looks Percy had ever seen.

"That needs to end right now!" she demanded loudly, causing him to flinch. "You make me out to be some kind of saint, but I'm not! I've made so many mistakes in my life, failed so many times, and I'm just a screwed up as you. It's why we work so well. You need to get over yourself and come to terms with the fact that I am so in love with you! So don't you dare call yourself worthless because you mean almost everything to me, do you hear me!"

She pushed him once for good measure, before she entwined her arms and stared at him crossly. Percy stared at the fierce looking creature in front of him and could not help but to fall even more deeply in love with her.

"Yes ma'am," he said simply, smiling happily. "I'm certain I can do that."

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, quickly shifting her mood back to ecstatic. She threw her arms around him and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "Now, let's see about getting some food delivered, I'm famished!"

"Percy?"

Percy's eyes fluttered open after happily dozing off for a few moments. He and Audrey were still wrapped up on the couch, her hair still marvelously disheveled from the night.

"Yes, love?" he asked with a sleepy inflection.

"I'm still hungry," she responded with a pout. Percy grinned wickedly.

"I told you the muggle delivery man wouldn't be able to find the place," he stated with a fake pompousness.

"I know!" she groaned, collapsing on to his chest in exasperated misery. Percy chuckled, holding her tightly for a moment, before gently pushing her off so he could get up.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he searched around for his glasses.

"Feeding you," he said determinedly. "My Audrey wants pizza, than pizza we shall have."

He marched into his kitchen, disappearing for a few minutes. Audrey heard a few clinks of glass and tin, accentuated with a few conflicting mummers. He quickly returned with his arms filled with food, none of which was pizza.

"What's all this?" she asked with a laugh.

"Pizza…sort of," he replied with a grin.

"Pizza Sortof," she repeated. "And how exactly does one make Pizza Sortof?"

"It's quite simple really," he explained in his lecture voice. "You start off with a bachelor who rarely eats in his own flat. Then you take two-day-old bakery bread, inspect it thoroughly, and with excruciating detail, scrape off any mold." He grabbed the butter knife he brought along with him and cut off the small fleck of blue that had begun to form.

"Next, you take some butter, which is a dairy product like cheese, and apply liberal amounts to each half of your loaf." He sliced the bread open and began to do just that, keeping a light hearted professional face as Audrey descended into giggles.

"Fourthly, you take and heat up a can of minestrone soup, which has tomatoes and other vegetables often found in pizza," he stated, pointing to the bowl he had brought with him.

"Now, the eating process if very simple, if not a tad messy. Simply grab your buttered bread, soak it thoroughly in the soup and, voila!" He and Audrey both followed his instructions. A part of him couldn't believe he was serving his girlfriend stale bread, butter and soup for dinner, but she never stopped flashing that wonderful smile of hers and began eating the substitute heartily.

"This Pizza Sortof isn't half bad," she exclaimed. "It does almost satiate the cravings for real pizza."

"Ah ha, well, that's because you haven't had the full Pizza Sortof experience," he stated knowingly.

"There's more?" she inquired with a laugh.

"Of course!" he exclaimed through a wild grin. He turned behind the couch and brought out a few more items.

"Pizza Sortof is not complete without the lighting of the bachelor's one and only candle, bought in case of an emergency," he explained.

"Oh, of course," Audrey agreed playfully.

"And this," he completed, holding out the bottle of Sir Percival's Pinot Noir George had bought him long ago. "A bottle of well aged, fine wine that has been saved for a special occasion. And let's admit it, what is more special than Sortof Pizza?"

He cracked open the bottle quickly and poured them both a generous glass. Audrey beamed happily at him and cheered him.

"I think this is the greatest meal any one has ever made for me," she said happily.

"And I am truly sorry for that," he replied with a grin, earning him a playful elbow in the side. "But seriously, I promise I'll start going to the market regularly so I can feed you properly."

"Good!" she exclaimed, placing her food down and turning around on the couch so she could get a sweeping view of his living room. "You have a nice flat! Although it could use some sprucing up. Maybe some paint on that wall there, some pictures on the mantel, maybe a good sturdy house plant…"

"Merlin's beard, are you redecorating my house already?" he asked bemused.

"Sweetheart, a house has to be decorated first before it can be redecorated," she pointed out seriously.

"Touché," he responded, throwing his arms around her shoulders as she curled in next to him. He kissed her temple softly as she played with his fingers.

"I can't believe we actually made it here," she said softly. "I'm so happy."

"It definitely is amazing," he concurred.

"Now, you know we have to be careful," she stated seriously, turning to face him. "Things are going to be a bit different now. We're both starting new jobs on Monday, and we both tend to get caught up in work."

"One of us more than the other," he added with a smile.

"You pointed that out, not me," she replied with a laugh. "Anyways, we need to make sure we maintain a good balance between our careers and…us."

"You could always come back and work for the Ministry," he joked. "I'm a big boss now, I'm sure I could pull some strings, get you a cushy job."

"Hmm, I don't think so," she hummed with a wrinkled nose. "Ministry life is definitely not for me. There was only really one thing I liked about working there."

"The cafeteria food," he answered wisely. Audrey giggled again.

"Where have you been hiding this sense of humor your whole life?" she asked, straddling his waist once more and pushing herself against him. "It's incredibly sexy."

He kissed her for a few moments before responding.

"It had apparently rolled under my desk," he replied with a grin. Audrey stopped kissing him and glared.

"What, too soon?" he asked with a sheepish smile. Audrey rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You're hopeless, you know that right?" she asked with a sigh.

"Yes, that I do know," he replied humbly.

"Hopeless, and probably far too serious for your own good," she continued, curling back in to him. "But I'm sure we can find a silly streak in you yet."

"What, you mean like this?" he inquired innocently, picking up his butter knife still covered in smear and aimed it at her face.

"You wouldn't dare," she stated. Percy grinned and flicked the butter at her without hesitation.

"You did not just lob butter at my face!" she exclaimed indignantly.

"That's funny, because I could have sworn I just did," he jested playfully, rolling off the couch before she could react.

"Percy Weasley, you get back here this instant!" she shrieked with a smile, rising to her feet. Percy scrambled around the couch, initiating a chase that led to his bedroom door. He stopped suddenly and let her run into him, wrapping his arms around her tightly so she couldn't physically enact her revenge. She wiped her face on his chest thoroughly, staring up at him in defiance when she finished. He swooped down to kiss her passionately.

"Yum, Pizza Sortof flavored kisses, my favorite!" he exclaimed.

"You're gonna pay for that," she replied stubbornly, struggling against her grin.

"I sure hope so," he replied, opening up his bedroom door in a gentlemanly fashion. Audrey turned up her nose and marched inside, grabbing Percy's arm at the last moment to drag him in, fully prepared to make him suffer for her indignities.

Percy, ever the upstanding citizen, was more than happy to pay for his crimes.


	26. Spot on Spontaneity

Spot on Spontaneity

Percy was in desperate need for a proper cup of tea.

He stood in a chic but crowded shopping center in Lisbon, just outside the Portuguese Ministry of Magic. He had been in town for five days at a rigorous yet surprisingly fruitful conference. Two months in to his post as head of the British International Trading Standard's Body, this was his first major act. The conference was so important it was something Grumman himself would usually attend, especially in so fine a city with such nice accommodations. But Spiro had insisted Percy go, stating that he had his full confidence that he would represent his Ministry better than anyone in the department, and that it was time for him to make a name for himself. Percy was flattered beyond words at the encouragement, even though he had a feeling the real reason he was sent was because Spiro's wedding was in less than a fortnight, and Valencia would probably rearrange the whole wedding in his absence.

None the less, Percy was ecstatic to say that he had managed to not only not make a fool of himself in front of nearly every European head of the Trading commission, but he was able to successful get the necessary safety standards he and Grumman drew up passed (much to the grumblings of Estonia). With the conference nearly over and only another day to enjoy the sights, Percy dragged himself out of the hotel room and away from his reports, knowing his friends and family would never forgive him if he didn't at least take a brief tour to buy them souvenirs.

As wonderful as the sights were and as successful as his trip had been, however, he was anxious to get home. Though he had brushed up on his Portuguese and was able to converse and understand efficiently, the process was rather exhausting. The hotel was lovely, but as a creature of habit he craved his own bed. And, though it had only been five days, ones which had been busily packed, he couldn't help but miss Audrey.

Life at home really couldn't have been any better. His and Audrey's relationship continued to grow stronger every day, and just when he figured he couldn't get any happier, he did.

He had taken her to his family dinner and presented her as his girlfriend with an overwhelming amount of success. Apparently George had started a pool after their last dinner, with family members betting on how long it would take him to ask her out, how it would go down, or whether or not he would pluck up the courage to do it at all. Percy and his mother were both horrified at the prospect, especially when it was discovered the overall winner was none other than Arthur, who had rightly predicted that he would ask her out, mess it up, but eventually pull through. He was also slightly wounded that most of his brothers had voted in favor of him either messing it up permanently or not asking her out at all. Only the girls, his father and Bill had given him any confidence.

Luckily, Audrey found the wager extremely entertaining, so Percy's indignity was marginalized. It also helped that when George began to force his usual Sorting Hat pun out of her, he stopped in disgust, realizing that he was related to the "Gryffindor sword of pleasure" he had always eluded to, and promptly announced he would never have her say the poem again. Audrey happily chalked the victory up to one more perk for dating Percy.

Another outcome of the dinner was the subsequent addition of Angelina to their group. Perhaps enough time had passed for George to seek out his own relationship, or maybe it was just the startling realization that Percy had a girlfriend and he didn't that got him to finally make a move. Either way, George expressed his long held and deep seated feelings for his old housemate, and the two quickly paired up.

This resulted in a new golden trio, as Fleur, Audrey and Angelina soon became right near inseparable. It was wonderful in the way that he got to see his brothers more often due to the fact that their significant others got along so well. What was not so wonderful was the fierce wall of solidarity the three quickly built, and the brothers, especially the younger two, quickly realized they needed to shape up. Bill also liked to ruin the moment by whispering prophecies of their future to his two unprepared little brothers as their girlfriends held and swooned over Victorie.

But, despite that little detail, things were going great. They had been doing a great job of managing their careers around their relationship. Percy worked hard and efficiently at work, but rarely stayed late any more, having something more meaningful in his life waiting at home. The desire to complete a day's work within the actual work day boded well for his employees, and he maintained a moderate yet professional popularity among them.

Audrey absolutely loved her job. Her boss was rather erratic, and often left on vacations of inspiration. Audrey in turn pretty much ran the studio herself, which was just fine by her. When he was around, he often let her go home to work on her own projects, which was more than just fine by her, especially as she received a salary.

She had started to paint again, and was creating a marvelous collection for a studio show to be held before Christmas. Percy was amazed by her work and avidly supported her. While she painted, he often came over and sat in her living room, using the time to catch up on his own paperwork while still getting to spend time together. Audrey and George were also in the process of working on sketches for a new logo and designs for his labels.

As he walked mindless through the stores, he couldn't help but admire how wonderful his life had turned out. He never thought it would be like this, hectic and crazy sure, but also blissful. He and Audrey of course had the occasional spat, one of which ended up with her slamming the door in his face, but it was nothing that wasn't worked out after tempers cooled and a dialogue set in. The more he thought about her, the more he was certain he never wanted to be without her. She had altered his life forever, to the point where there was no turning back. And as scary as that thought was, he couldn't help but to be excited for the future.

It was due to this mindset that he blamed his next stint of impetuousness. Lost in his own happy daze, he hadn't paid much mind to the store he had been wandering around in. It was a nice antique shop, filled with old yet beautifully carved tables, potion sets, and anything else imaginable. Percy's hand had been resting on a glass case. He turned to look inside it, and his eye was immediately caught by a spark of purple and white. It was an amethyst ring, elegantly set with two small diamonds on the side. It was simple yet unique and beautiful, and absolutely screamed Audrey.

"Quanto custa isto?" he asked the shopkeeper without thinking. The owner looked at the ring lazily and stated a price.

"You're barking mad," Percy determined, and immediately began to haggle. The man was stubborn, yet so was he, and Percy was just tired enough to not care about having a long argument. He began to argue the man down to an acceptable price. The man eventually threw his hands up, called Percy something he'd rather not translate, and took the currency Percy had laid on the table before shoving the ring in his hands.

Grinning in victory, it took a few moments for Percy to realize what he had just done. He had just bought Audrey an engagement ring.

At first he found himself quiet agreeing with the name the shopkeeper had called him. They hadn't even been together for three months and he had already bought her a ring? It was madness! He was far too pragmatic and rational to make such a life changing decision with a girl he hadn't even known for half a year.

But, as panic and stupidity subsided and he looked more clearly at the ring, he couldn't help but smile. It was rather perfect for her and he honestly couldn't picture a different make or stone on her finger after he had found this one. Maybe it wasn't such a rash idea. He could view it as an investment of sorts. He could hold on to it for another year as they tested the water, discussed their future rationally and thoroughly for a timely manner, before he would then present it to her at a proper moment.

Yes, he thought to himself, slipping the ring into his robes as he strolled easily through the street, it was by no means an irrational purchase, and he had yet to make any drastic move. His relationship with Audrey would continue as planned, and he would accord the right amount of time before taking them to the ultimate level.

Of course, he thought with a grin, if he had learned one thing in his recent experiences, it was what was life without a few rash moments of spot on spontaneity?

The End

**(A/N: I can't believe I actually finished! This story has been such a big part of my life for the past year and a half, and it feels so bittersweet to see it end. Funny how an idea that popped into my head during a round of bowling progressed this far. Anyways, I would like to thank all of you who've read so loyally, especially Julu, cincroc, Ammiel, Avanell, emiLILYEVANS, Aiden I., ****AoiKuroNekoSan****, ****4good****, Bird G, tamara 72, ErinFabu, GingerNinja1, The Whimsical Fairy, francaise3, Emily, Nelly07, Mudblood in Slytherin, meggiemoon, ****ElaineAbbene****, ****waltraute****, twinsmom, waltograph, jacobsgalpal, ****imadoodlenoodle**** and anyone else who reviewed and supported me through my cultural errors, many grammatical mistakes and long absences. I couldn't have done it without you. I hope you all were satisfied with my story, and hopefully I placed Percy in a new light. I know he's become one of my favorite characters and I hope people will start to view him more favorably. Thanks again for reading, and don't be a stranger! I have other fics up and am certain I will continue to write more PotterFic in my time. Love always, Audrey T. (and yes, Audrey is my real name). )**


	27. Is This Sad?

Is this cheating?

It may very well be, as updating a completed story just to inform all of you who still have subscribed alerts that I've decided to write a sequel seems to be a bit grasping. But then again where would Harry be if Nevil and Luna hadn't kept watch on their DA coins...?

Enough with trying to convince myself that this is okay and now to what really matters. I've just posted the first chapter to my newest story "The Uniting of Percy and Audrey Weasley". I just couldn't stay away and have decided to write a fic about their actual relationship. So if y'all are interested in seeing how my version of them pans out, feel free to check them out.

I'll also gladly accept any teasing for my slightly sad way of putting my story out there.

Hope to see you all,

Audrey, aka JustAudrey07


End file.
